Reflection
by Shamira
Summary: JOURNEY story inspired by the film Save the Last Dance. When tragedy strikes, Courtney Matthews gives up what she loves most and moves to Port Charles. Will she find family, love, and inspiration in this strange city or only end up lost and alone?
1. Prologue

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Author's Note: Here we have it. Shamira finally takes a stab at another fic. This one, unlike The Fallout, is purely Journey! I don't know how I'll manage writing a single couple :( Ah well, anyway...

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Summary: JOURNEY story inspired by the film Save the Last Dance. When tragedy strikes, Courtney Matthews gives up what she loves most and moves to Port Charles. Will she find family, love, and inspiration in this strange city or only end up lost and alone?

As I said above, this fic is inspired by _Save the Last Dance_, which I saw for the first time a couple nights ago. It's an awesome movie! I'm gonna have to buy it :p Anyway, in case you haven't seen it, here's a bit more information: What if Courtney wanted to be a ballerina? What if her mom was killed in a car accident while rushing to make it to her biggest audition ever? What if Courtney gave up dancing because of this and then found out about her dad and went to Port Charles to fins him, only to discover she has a half-brother and whole family she doesn't know about? Can Jason convince her to pursue her dreams? Will they find love on this Journey?

This story is set in October 2002 and everything that happened on the show has happened in this fic, except Courtney coming to town. I.E., Liz has dumped Jason over non-death; S&C are together; Mike's mad at Sonny for letting him think he was dead. The only thing different is that Emily has been back in town for a month or so, she does not have cancer, and Jason hasn't married Brenda. The rest will be explained in the story. Any questions, please ask. If you like it or not, please review, and keep in mind I do not take ballet and have never seen a ballet :p

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Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with General Hospital or ABC, and none of the characters in this story, aside from the few I may or may not create, belong to me. The dialogue of the prologue belongs to the writers and ABC, and _Save the Last Dance_ belongs to Paramount Pictures and MTV Productions. I am making no profit from using dialogue, ideas, or characters from any of the above.

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Reflection

Prologue

Carly paused halfway out of the kitchen and smiled. She hadn't thought Sonny had noticed her, but then he addressed her without even glancing her way. "You spying on me?"

He'd caught her. Except she wouldn't exactly call it _spying_. Carly walked over and locked her arms around his neck. "No. I am just taking a minute to appreciate how much I love you and how happy I am to be able to watch you do something as mundane as reading a paper. You know, the thing I hated most about pretending you were dead was I thought God was going to punish me and he was going to take you away for real."

Sonny tossed the paper on the desk and stood up. "Well, it's over. You're back in my life. You're right in the center, right where you're supposed to be."

Carly took the moment to just enjoy having his strong arms around her. God, she'd missed him. "Guess what?" he asked.

"Hmm?" she hummed.

He stepped out of her arms. "Got to run."

So much for being the center of his life. "Where are you going?"

"I got a meeting with Sammy Tagliati and the other reps to clear up any misunderstandings that might have occurred while I was gone."

"Oh, ok." In other words, to make it clear to the Five Families that he was very much alive and very much in control of his territory, which in turn meant his wife was not. She couldn't resist rubbing in the point. "Oh, wait, hold on one second!" She ran over to the fireplace and grabbed the baseball bat she'd slammed like a gavel in the middle of a meeting with the Five Families. What could she say? Grating on Sonny's nerves was her favorite past time. She held it up like she was showing off a product on _The Price Is Right! _"Ta-da! You might need this, if you want. I found it _very_ useful in illustrating a point."

"Right." Sonny didn't bat an eyelash, smile, or give off anything except an aura of disapproval. She hadn't exactly told him she was going to be attending that particular meeting and he hadn't exactly been thrilled at how she'd involved herself in his business.

"It's good," she insisted, moving it just a little closer to him. What was that they said? It's the little things that count. Especially when it came to marriage. What fun would married life be if you couldn't bug your husband?

Sonny turned around and opened the door. "Goodbye, Carly."

"All right. Suit yourself," she said, lowering her arms from the display position they'd been in.

"I am," he called over his shoulder, and closed the door.

Smiling, Carly went over to the table and checked out the headline. The article concerned the unexpected resurrections of her husband and one name she despised even in print.

"Brenda Barrett," she read with much disgust, looking at the picture of the perfect, pint-sized ex-model who was no doubt going to try her best to steal her husband because that's what Brenda did. "Very nice." Carly swung the baseball bat, bringing it down hard on the photo. "Take that, bitch." Satisfied, she let the bat hang at her side.

~*~

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20 minutes later...

She'd been pondering what else she could do the photo. She could tear it up, or burn it, but nothing would compare to clawing the real Brenda's eyeballs out. A knock on the door interrupted her constructive past time and she whirled around as the guard stuck his head into the room. She hid the bat behind her back. "Sonny's father is here."

Carly tossed the bat under the coffee table and wiped her hands of it. "Yeah, show him in." She had known this day was coming.

Her father-in-law stepped into the room, sending the guard a dark look as he did so. "How considerate of you to let me into my own son's house. I'm honored. I truly am."

Paulie paused uncertainly. It was obvious Mike was furious, and he had every right to be after what she and Sonny had done. "Would you like me to stay?" he asked.

Carly shook her head. She could deal with Mike. She had to, because this wasn't a problem that was going to go away. "No, we're fine, thank you." The guard closed the door and she turned to Mike, trying her best to be gentle. She cared. She really did. "Hey, Mike, Sonny's not here right now, but he'll be back soon. Why don't you sit?"

"That's good. The concerned daughter-in-law act. It's almost as convincing as the bereaved widow."

The words stung, as they were supposed to. "Mike, that's—"

"And you were in on it from the start, weren't you?" Mike's voice was rising with his temper.

Carly sighed. Yes, she had been. For weeks she had pretended to grieve for her husband when he wasn't even dead. "I did what I had to do to support my husband." And to keep him alive. "I know you're hurting, but taking it out on me isn't going to make you feel any better."

"I'm trying to spare you pain. Cut your losses, Carly. Walk out of Sonny's life before he forces you out."

Carly didn't even have time to tell him that he was completely and totally wrong. The door slammed. "She's not going anywhere."

Mike turned to Sonny. "Well, if it isn't my one and only son risen from the dead. That is _some_ act."

Carly bit her lip, not enjoying the glowering contest between father and son in the least. This was Sonny's battle to fight, and she had to butt out, as much as she wanted to stand by him and defend what they had done. "Okay, you know what? I think the two of you need to talk, and I have to talk to Jason, so we'll just step out." She grabbed her best friend's arm and dragged him into the hall.

"So, do you feel good about yourself, Sonny? You know, in one grand gesture, you managed to deceive all the people who love you. I mean, did you have us under surveillance? Were you rating our grief, our pain?'

Sonny sighed. Here we go again. Except Mike was the one ticked off for once, and he was the one trying his best to make amends.

~*~

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In the hall...

Carly pressed her ear to the door.

"Carly," Jason said, trying to pry her away. She fought him off, whacking gently at his arms and twisting from his grasp.

"Stop talking or I won't be able to hear!" she snapped, returning to her post.

Jason didn't stop. Instead, he grabbed her arm and yanked her away. "Would Sonny want you eavesdropping?"

"No, but that's the point."

"This isn't your—"

Carly interrupted him, as much from concern as to cut off the lecture she'd heard a thousand times or more. "You hear that?"

Jason listened intently for a moment. "Hear what?"

"That's exactly my point. They're not yelling."

Jason shrugged. "So?"

Carly reached for the door handle. "So, that can't be good." She dodged around him and into the penthouse.

~*~

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In the penthouse...

"Mike, I'm sorry that I hurt you. I, you know, I did what I had to do, so I don't know what you want me—"

"That is the final and biggest irony of all. I finally get it, Sonny. I get what you've been telling me all these years. 'Sorry' isn't good enough. 'Sorry' means nothing at all."

There wasn't much Sonny could say to that, because it was true.

Carly and Jason came in, catching the tail end of Mike's rant. She looked from her father-in-law to her husband worriedly. Somehow she had a feeling this wasn't a rift that would be mended quickly or easily. An uncomfortable silence hung in the room, a silence none of them were going to break. When it hung for a moment too long, Mike stormed out of the penthouse.

Carly didn't know what to say. So she settled for giving her husband a hug and telling him, "I love you. It's going to be okay," even though she wasn't sure it was.

~*~

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In the hall...

Mike punched the button for the elevator. When had his son turned into this selfish jerk? Mike had hurt him by walking out and now Sonny was inflicting pain on everyone else around him.

His cell phone rang, shaking him from his angry thoughts but not his anger. He answered it with a less than pleasant, "Yeah?"

He could hear breathing on the other end of the line, rapid and shallow. "Who is this?" he asked. The caller hastily hung up. He shook his head and did the same. Teenagers and their crank calls.

~*~


	2. Chapter 1: This Is It

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Reflection

Chapter One: _This Is It_

Her reflection in the window, she stared passed it, letting the wintry scenery of upstate New York go by without really seeing it. Her mind was elsewhere, understandably so. The past week had been a roller coaster of emotions: excitement, anticipation, expectation, disappointment, anger, pain, grief, guilt, confusion.

The bus slowed to a final stop before it would forge onward to Port Charles, New York. She sat at the back of the bus, and most of the seats were taken, except for the one next to her. Most people had understood she needed space, seeing the expression on her face: distant and sad.

A woman climbed onto the bus and looked around, taking in her options. A teenage punk, an elderly man yammering away at the person in the seat in front of him, who refused to remove her headphones in an unsuccessful attempt to convey to the gentleman that she was not interested in conversation, as one-way as it was. A couple making out. Damn, get a room already!

With those choices, the back of the bus looked good. Only one girl there, or maybe she should say young woman. She was staring out the window, not talking to anybody, and she looked normal. Platinum blond hair, blue eyes, little makeup, thick sweater and winter coat.

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Yep, the woman thought, and made her way to the back of the bus. Just in case, she asked, "This seat taken?"

The girl looked up, somewhat startled, having not realized anyone was there. She shook her head and wordlessly moved her backpack and magazines from the seat next to her.

The woman dropped down with a sigh of relief. It was good to get off her feet. She considered starting a conversation with the girl, but she was looking out that window again. At what, she didn't know. There wasn't anything out there worth looking at.

That's when she noticed the _American Ballet_ magazine on the girl's lap. "I love ballet," she said. "Do you dance?"

The girl spoke very quietly. "I used to."

She stared out the window, all the memories coming back...

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***flashback***

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She was dancing on the stage, surrounded by other girls in frilly pink tights and tutus. She felt like Cinderella at the ball. She loved the dance, and dance she did, amazingly graceful and poised for her age. She didn't know it, but the audience was all thinking the same thing: that girl is going somewhere.

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The music came to a close and the girls ended their performance with one final twirl. The poised little girl grinned for the first time as a man in the front row leapt to his feet, clapping and cheering loudly. "That's my girl!" her dad called, glowing with pride.

Five-year-old Courtney Matthews couldn't have been happier. As the other girls raced off the stage, she bowed to thank the audience for their applause. That's when she knew this was what she wanted to do with her life.

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Seven Years Later...

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She danced, determined to prove herself to her strict teacher, raising her arms over her head and gracefully leaping on her toes, she made it look easy. She did not feel the jealous gazes of her classmates, only the music and the movement of her body. She glanced to the chairs in the corner of the room and saw her dad watching her. He smiled and waved, silently cheering her on. Courtney twirled across the floor...

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The Next Week...

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The teacher didn't know what to think. Maybe twelve-year-old Courtney Matthews was sick. She was usually so focused, that little girl with so much maturity, so much potential. But today she was off.

Courtney kept glancing toward the metal chairs in the corner of the studio. She couldn't focus on the dance and she moved without her usual flawless grace. Where was her dad? He'd never missed a weekend class. He'd leave for days at a time without notice or saying goodbye, but she could always count on him to be there for Saturday afternoon ballet.

And for the first time she could remember, he wasn't.

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Later That Day...

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Courtney dug her key out of her pocket, inserting it into the lock and turning it. She twisted the doorknob and walked into their tiny but comfortable apartment. Courtney had decorated it when she was eight. She wanted to make it into a palace, and in a way she had, changing the curtains, putting flowers on the table, a few of her better drawings on the walls. Little things that made it more welcoming, more cozy.

"Mom, I'm home!" she called, not expecting an answer. Her mom was upstairs, putting her makeup on for her weekend gig at the casino like she did every day of the week except Sunday. Courtney threw her bag on the couch, prepared to move into the kitchen where she would put on some music and make them dinner. It was sort of her job to take care of her mom.

That's when she noticed the boxes. The living room was filled with them. All the books, as few of them as there were, had been taken from the shelves. The room was bare. All those little things she had done to make it feel like a home weren't there anymore.

Frowning, Courtney moved into the kitchen. Much to her surprise, her mom was sitting at the table, not a stick of makeup on her face, not a bit of hairspray locking her hair in place.

Courtney knew right away something was wrong. "Mom, what is it?" she asked, horrified. She already knew before Janine said anything. Her entire face crumpled as the realization came to her. "It's Daddy, isn't it? Something happened to Daddy."

Janine nodded mutely. "I'm so sorry, baby. He's gone."

No. It couldn't be. It was impossible. This was something that happened to other people. On the news, in the papers, in the movies, to your friends but not to you. Parents didn't actually die in your real life. They were always there. They had to be there. To look out for you, to take care of you. They couldn't die._ It was absurd. Impossible!_

"He's not dead!" Courtney screamed, tears overfilling her eyes and then spilling down her cheeks. "You're lying! Stop lying!"

"Oh, baby—" Janine reached out to her.

"Don't touch me!" Courtney screamed, jerking away from her mother's touch. "You're lying! Daddy's not dead! He's going to be here! He's going to come through that door any second now and say he's sorry he didn't make it to my ballet class! Watch! You'll see!"

Janine shook her head, her eyes filled with pity and sadness, and something Courtney didn't see—guilt.

"He is!" Courtney continued to scream, unable to stop herself. Maybe if she screamed long and loud enough this would go away. It was a nightmare. Somehow she'd wake herself up.

It didn't go away. It never would. Her daddy was dead and death wasn't something you could come back from. It was permanent.

Janine broke the news that her dad had gambled away the last of their savings and there was not enough money to pay the rent next. They had to move to cheaper housing, and they had to be out by tonight...

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***End Flashback***

Courtney swiped at a tear as she stared out the window. The lady next to her was reading her magazine, flipping through the pages...

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***Flashback***

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Courtney flexed her feet, crossed at the ankles, rising up and down on her pink-satin-clad toes. The hardwood floor was solid beneath her feet and she finished the routine with one last twirl, coming out of it with a frown.

"What's the matter? It was good," Janine said, smiling as she always did when her baby girl, now a young woman at age twenty, danced.

Courtney gazed into the mirror, checking her stance. She sighed. "Everybody's going to be good, Mom. I have to be better."

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"Oh, baby, you did just fine."

Courtney drew in a deep breath. "I need to be special to get in."

"You'll get in, because you are special. You're my baby. You're special, and those judges at Julliard are gonna see you're special!" Janine opened her arms and gave her child a hug. She was just perfect, and she was going to wow those judges big time, freeing them both from their life of poverty in this place in the middle of nowhere called Atlantic City.

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The Next Day...

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It was the morning of the audition. Janine had a few loose ends to tie up at work because she'd promised her boss she would as long as he let her have the rest of the day off. That way she'd get to see her baby dance like an angel for those judges.

"I wish you didn't have to drop me off at the bus station, that we could just keep going to Philadelphia," Courtney said dreamily. She knew it wasn't going to happen, but she still wished for it.

"I'll get there as soon as I can, baby," Janine promised. She saw the look on Courtney's face and it made her feel guilty. She'd attended all her daughter's performances and auditions to make up for the lie she'd told her, but somehow she'd missed seeing her grow up. Ballet class was the only time she saw her, between school, Courtney's job as a waitress, and the late hours she had to work. Courtney had pretty much raised herself. Just this once, she wished she could be there all the way for Courtney.

But she couldn't. She couldn't lose her job, not now. Courtney had put off this audition two years because they didn't have the money to pay for Julliard thanks to Mike gambling away all her savings. Janine bit back her resentment. They had the money now.

She stopped the car and Courtney grabbed her bag out of the backseat. She was mad. As much as she liked to think she was a big, tough twenty-year-old who could look out for herself, she knew she was just a little girl who needed her mommy inside. It made her mad at herself.

So she took it out on her mom. "This is the biggest, most important day of my life, and you'll be there as soon as you can. Thanks, Mom."

"I won't miss your audition, baby," Janine promised. "I'll be there."

Courtney had heard those words before. From her dad. Then one day when she was twelve he'd gone and died on her.

"I need you there, Mom," Courtney said, fighting back tears and pulling her mom into a tight hug.

****

A few hours later...

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Courtney stretched, getting ready for her routine. It was only a matter of time now. She looked toward the double glass doors but her mom was nowhere in sight. She shouldn't be disappointed. Work had always come first for her mom.

A woman with a clipboard walked over to her. "Excuse me. Are you Courtney Matthews?"

"Yes," she replied, standing up.

"This way. They're ready for you."

Courtney picked up her water bottle and bag, throwing once last glance behind her as she followed the woman into the auditorium.

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On the road...

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Janine looked down at the speedometer. Seventy miles an hour, and it still felt like she was creeping along.

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In the auditorium...

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"Is there anything you would like to say about your contemporary piece, Ms Matthews?" the judge on the far left asked.

"No, I think it's pretty self-explanatory," she said with a nervous laugh. The music started and she began the piece she had spent the entire summer choreographing.

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On the road...

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The snow came down, whacking the windshield as the windshield wipers frantically tried to push it away.

"Come on, come on," Janine said, applying more pressure to the gas pedal as she rounded the corner.

She saw the brake lights up ahead. It was too late to stop. Not having time to scream, she slammed on the brakes and the car skidded off the road, smashing through the cement-post-and-wire guardrail and down the embankment.

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In the auditorium...

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Courtney stepped back, preparing for the leap...

And she fell. The music kept playing but she knew it was all over. She had failed; she was never getting into Julliard now.

She had no idea it was only beginning.

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At home...

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Courtney frowned. There were two police officers standing outside her home. Had yet another get-rich-fast scheme blown up in her mom's face? Was that_ why she hadn't been there for her audition?_

"Can I help you, officers?" she asked warily. You could never be too careful in this neighborhood.

"Are you Ms Courtney Matthews?" one asked.

"Yes..." she said carefully.

"Any relation to Janine Matthews?"

She tilted her head back. "Yeah, she's my mom."

That's when they broke the news to her. Her mother had been killed in a car accident racing to get to her audition. The world fell out from under her, or maybe she fell from the world. She collapsed in the snow and started crying, right there in front of them.

And it still wasn't over.

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***End Flashback***

Finally in Port Charles, the bus rolled to a stop. Courtney gathered up her things and said a polite goodbye to the woman who had been her companion throughout the trip. She stepped off the bus and pulled the picture out of her pocket...

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***Flashback***

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She was going through her mother's things, packing them away. She was going to have to move. Where she would go, she didn't know. Her mom hadn't bothered with a will because she had felt that was only for rich people and they weren't rich enough for that sort of thing. The police were sure that once things got sorted out, every monetary asset of her mom's would go to her. Until then, she had to find a place to live. On her measly earnings as a waitress, she could not afford to live here. She had to find someplace cheap to stay. Maybe she'd sleep in her car.

She went into her mother's nightstand, somewhere she had never been allowed and had never even on her most rebellious days tried to enter. It had a lock, after all, and Courtney had never had the key. That was on a chain her mom wore around her neck. Now Courtney owned that key.

She inserted it into the lock and turned it, pulling the drawer open. It felt like an invasion of her mother's spirit's privacy, going through her things like this, but they had to be packed away and put in storage. She couldn't fit everything in her car.

The drawer was filled with papers. Hesitantly, she picked them up, determined to throw them in the box and get it over with. That's when a photograph fluttered from between the pages. Courtney tucked her hair behind her ear with one hand and picked the picture up.

It was a photo of her dad, but not her dad as she remembered him. His hair was gray, and he looked older, though not much older.

Suddenly she had to gasp for breath and still couldn't breathe.

She desperately began tearing through the papers. Mike Corbin._ The name popped out at her. She started reading, settling down with her back against her mom's bed._

That's when she learned the truth. Her father was still very much alive, living in Port Charles, seen running with various mobsters who probably provided money for his gambling. And that wasn't even the worst part. The worst part was that this information had been provided by a private investigator. A private investigator her mom had hired.

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"She lied to me," Courtney whispered. "She's been lying to me all these years."

There were two phone numbers listed in the paperwork, one a cell, one a home. She tried the home number but got no answer, not even a machine. She hung up and tried the next.

And her father answered._ She would know his voice anywhere._

She felt like she was choking. She couldn't say anything. When he asked who it was, she hung up as fast as she could.

The next morning she quit her job and sold her car. She had enough money to put all of her mother's possessions and those she had left over in storage.

There was just enough left over for a one-way bus ticket to Port Charles.

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***End Flashback***

Courtney drew in a deep, wavering breath. So this was it. The city of Port Charles. She hiked her backpack up on her shoulder and, photograph and paperwork in hand, set out to find the only family she had left.

~*~


	3. Chapter 2: The Docks

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Author's Note: Reviews! Yay! :D

starbright: Thanks for the support! Hopefully it'll work out okay, this story is a lot of fun, especially since the chapters a so much shorter and therefore easier to write :D

ghjourneybabe; You've asked me to put Journey in fast after only the first chapter. tsk tsk, didn't even wait for the second, lol. I'm just kidding, here's your wish granted and thanks for reading :)

Always Rosalind: The movie is _amazing._ It's my official new favorite, and my movie favorites is a pretty exclusive club, lol. And yes, randomly, the wedding was gorgeous :D I loved it. And even better is the ongoing honeymoon, which, despite the frequent interruptions, is so cute! I'll e-mail ya as soon as I get to the dancing portion of this story, and thanks so much for the offer for help! Ballet is one thing you can't make up, lol. Thanks for reading too :)

tydavislover: LOL! Right there with me, I watched it three times, too, and then went out and bought it! Thanks so much for reading!

abc: How's this for ASAP? 3 days. This has to be some kind of record for me, lol. Thanks for reading, and I'm sorry I didn't get your review for _TF_ (wonderful initials, don't you agree?) until I uploaded...suffice it to say, yes, the chapters are _veeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrry_ long :p

To the LNers: You guys are amazing, and I can't believe I got so many reviews from you for the prologue and chapter one alone! Why am I saying this here? The P.S. explains :p

EVERYONE: I'm carrying a routine over from _The Fallout_: no more than 2 weeks between updates unless the sky falls or there's a huge power outage or some such disaster that would keep me from my beloved computer.

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Reflection

Chapter Two ~ The Docks

Courtney stepped out of the alley and onto the stairs, staring out at the water lapping the docks. It filled her with tranquility. Courtney wrapped her arms around herself. Night was falling and the temperature was growing increasingly colder. She was going to have to find someplace to stay and soon.

She wondered where her mom was now. She believed in God and heaven, but had she and her mom been good enough, said their prayers often enough, for her to get in there?

Yeah, they had, Courtney decided. She couldn't deal with thinking any other way. God loved them; her mom had died trying to do something she thought was right. He wouldn't punish her for that.

Courtney, however, couldn't find a happy medium. She could neither accept her mother's death or what she had done. How could she have lied about her dad? She needed to know why.

She slipped her backpack from her shoulders and pulled the paperwork out of her parka, a cheap department store markdown that didn't make her much warmer than she would have been without it. She began paging through the papers, looking for some clue as to where exactly in Port Charles her father lived. She'd gone over it extensively the night before, but she hadn't found his address. She had, however, found a page with a corner torn out. Had his address been on that corner? Had her mom torn it up, burned it in order to make sure her daughter never found him?

Just then, a brisk breeze tore the papers from her hands. She desperately snatched for them as the spread apart, fluttering in all directions. She had to catch them before they fell into the water!

Thank God, the wind stopped blowing, and the papers scattered across the wooden deck. Breathing a sigh of relief, she went to gather them up.

From her position crouched on the docks, she saw a leather-gloved hand reach down to pick up one of her papers...

Courtney grabbed the first thing that could serve as a weapon—a two-by-four from a pile next to a bench, probably there waiting for some lazy guy to fix a broken railing. "Get away from me!" she said. You couldn't be too careful, a young woman out alone at night. Her mom had taught her that.

He let the paper lie, straightening and holding his hands up either as a show of defeat or backing off. "I was just trying to help you pick these up..." He frowned as he said it, obviously confused by her reaction.

Jason didn't understand why she had reacted like that. Had he done something wrong?

Courtney saw nothing but sincerity in his intense blue gaze. She took a moment to look him over. Tall, handsome, in shape, dressed in biker boots, jeans, a T-shirt, and a leather jacket that looked pretty warm, or at least warmer than what she was wearing. Spiky brownish hair, and the eyes...she could get lost in those eyes. He was a good guy, she decided, despite the biker image he gave off, and not at all like those pimps on the mean streets of Atlantic City. Blowing out a breath, she lowered the board and rubbed her forehead. "I'm sorry."

He nodded and stooped to once again help her gather her papers. When he passed them over to her, their hands brushed and their eyes met. Courtney looked away hastily, feeling a blush creep into her cheeks. "Thanks." She shoved the paperwork into her pocket.

"It's not a problem," he replied, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "So...are you new in town?"

Courtney glanced up quickly, her knee-jerk reaction to be defensive. "Why would you ask that?"

He shrugged. "I know most people around here and I haven't seen you before."

Courtney went over to the bench and sat down. After a moment, he followed her, watching her intently, not in a perverted way, but as if he was really interested in what she had to say. She couldn't recall a guy ever looking at her like that before, except for her dad when she was really little. "Yeah, I just got here. I'm sort of looking for someone." When he didn't say anything, she added, "My dad, actually. It's a really long story. I thought he was dead, but after my mom died I found out he wasn't. Ugh." Why was she being so honest with him? He was a complete stranger!

"I'm sorry," Jason said, and he meant it. "That must have been hard for you."

That was why. Because he spoke so quietly, listened so attentively. "It's no big deal." She hugged herself again, starting to shiver. Man, it was chilly out here.

Jason noticed. "Are you cold?" he asked, shrugging out of his jacket.

She glanced over at him. "Oh, no, I'm fine. I can't let you do that."

He wrapped it around her shoulders. "No, it's fine. I'm not cold. That better?"

She smiled. She would never have thought such a complete stranger could be so sincerely kind and generous. "Much."

He smiled back at her, but not with his mouth. With his eyes. They just softened and lit up a little.

"Well, isn't this sweet?"

Courtney and her companion both jumped at the unexpected voice. Courtney leaped to he feet after him, looking at the petite brunette standing behind them, her arms crossed over her chest.

The girl continued, "Cuddling on the docks, where everyone can see you. Tell me, Jason, did you lie about her, too? Have you been involved with her the whole time you were pretending you wanted something more with _me_? Are sleeping with her?"

Courtney's companion frowned. "What are you talking about?"

The girl's eyes flashed angrily. "You know _exactly_ what I'm talking about! You ruined any chance we had of being together and you don't even _care!_ And you've already moved on, with this blond bimbo. You know, now that I think of it, she looks a lot like Carly."

It was a dig, and Jason knew it. It was a roundabout way of asking if he had told this girl the truth like he had told Carly and not Elizabeth.

Courtney stepped forward, enraged. She didn't like that this girl who had never met her had just called her a bimbo, and she especially didn't like the accusations she was throwing around. And there was another thing—she felt a need to defend this man she hardly even knew. "Look, I don't know who you are or what your problem is, but I dropped some important papers and all he did was help me pick them up before they could blow away."

The girl threw her a disgusted expression, tucking her hair behind her ears. "You expect me to believe that? Isn't that Jason's jacket you're wearing?"

Courtney looked down at herself and the crinkled leather jacket that was keeping her warm.

"Look, Elizabeth," Jason began, "I know you're hurt and you're angry, but I told you there were things I couldn't tell you. And I'm not going to apologize for what I did because it had to be done. Because if it happened again, I'd do the same thing."

"Our trust meant _nothing_ to you?"

Jason didn't say anything. He couldn't apologize to her because he wasn't sorry. He'd told her that over and over again and she just didn't seem able to understand or accept that this was his job, and he had to do what he had to do. Elizabeth had told him that they could never work out; she was right."

The silence seemed a good enough answer to this Elizabeth, who just shook her head and threw up her hands. "You know what? I don't care anymore. Keep your secrets for Sonny, do whatever you want with her. I don't want to think about it and I don't want to beat myself up for thinking you were ever my friend or that you and I could have had something _real_. You can both go to hell for all I care." Delivering the last part threateningly, she turned around and stomped up the stairs.

Courtney watched her retreating back and as soon as she rounded the corner, she whirled around to face Jason, unable to help being furious about what had just been said. "Okay, not that it's any of my business, but what is _her_ problem?"

He shrugged again. "I kept something from Elizabeth and she found out. She's mad and I can't really blame her."

"Is she your girlfriend or something?" Courtney asked, not trying to be nosy, just trying to understand.

"Not exactly. We were friends and I thought we could be something more, but I was wrong."

He didn't sound hurt or disappointed. The way he spoke was matter-of-fact. Like he accepted that whatever had happened had happened and he couldn't change it. She wished she could feel that way. After a long moment, she slid his coat from her shoulders and held it out with a smile. "Thanks for the jacket."

Once he took it, Courtney turned to walk away but then she paused, her hand resting on the railing. She pondered it for a moment and then thought _why not?_ and turned back to him. "I'm Courtney."

His intense gaze had not strayed from her even for a moment. One side of his mouth twitched slightly, forming a brief and very sexy smile. "Jason. Jason Morgan."

__

Jason Morgan. She tried it a few times in her head. The two names just rolled through her thoughts, fitting perfectly. She loved how they sounded together. And somehow she knew, just _knew_, this Jason Morgan was going to change her life.

She threw him a dazzling smile. "Bye, Jason." With that, she finished climbing the stairs.

Jason stared at her retreating back until she was out of sight and then he stared at the place she'd disappeared from view. He didn't know what it was, but there was something about her smile...

And for the second time that day, the side of his mouth twitched upward Her smile made him want to smile. He didn't know what role she was going to play in his life, but he'd known the moment she'd turned back to tell him her name she was going to have a part in it. There was something about her, and whatever it was, he liked it.

Shaking out of his thoughts, he sprinted up the stairs opposite the set she had gone up minutes before.

~*~

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P.S. Anyone from JourneyIntoTheLoveNest: I'm having a lot of problems with my account over there, and until that gets cleared up, I can't update because I can't even read the boards [face_cry] I think I accidentally got ISP banned. Anyway, love you guys. Hope problem gets fixed soon, I'm dying without ya. :(


	4. Chapter 3: Kelly's

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Author's Note: starbright: :blush Thank you!

ghjourneybabe: Thank you, too. I'm going...I'm one of those writers who has to write because she needs to see where her own story is going to take her, lol, so there's no chance of me quitting ever :D

dreamcatcher6: I absolutely adore your screenname. It's so cute. Thanks for the review :)

light*hope: Hey, stranger! Yes, you have to see _Save the Last Dance_, it is an awesome movie. Most of that Elizabeth scene was actual things she said slightly modified. Some were from when she called things off with Jason, and others were when she found out Journey was together. Thanks for reading and the review, so glad you like :)

abc: LOL, if you make it through _one _chapter of TF, you are not lazy :p Everyone's the same age as they would have been in October 2002...so Courtney's 20 or 21, and Jason's late twenty-ish...thanks for reading :D

theblondeone07: Thank you! I'm one happy writer...

No Journey interaction this chapter, but that will change soon enough... ;)

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Reflection

Chapter Three ~ Kelly's

Courtney looked up at the clean, turn-of-the-century red brick building before her, taking in the high windows and doors, the dark ivy cascading over the bricks, the brown-and-white checkered curtains in the windows. On either side of the door, separate signs were displayed, one declaring the name of the restaurant in neon cursive, the other saying it was OPEN.

Thank God. She was hungry, not having eaten anything other than a few cheap, unhealthy snacks from the vending machine at the bus stop in Atlantic City. She checked her pockets, coming up with a dollar and change. A full meal wasn't in the budget, but she could at least afford a cup of coffee.

She grabbed the handle and pulled the door open. Warmth came crashing across the threshold. She stood there for a moment, smiling and letting herself adjust to the sudden increase in temperature. Mmm, it felt so good to be out of the cold.

From behind the counter, an older woman with deep red hair glanced up at her with a smile, and Courtney hastily closed the door, not wanting to get yelled at. Her old boss would bite the heads off of anyone who left the door open more than a couple of seconds this time of year.

She looked around her. The wooden tables, mostly occupied, were set up in tidy rows, two rows, three tables a row, four chairs a table. She walked down the center of them to the counter, where five stools cushioned by green leather pillows were lined up. Only one person sat at the counter, sipping from a mug and reading a paper. She gratefully slipped into the stool next to him, depositing her backpack on the floor and pulling her scarf from around her neck. Shaking out her platinum locks, she returned the hostess's smile.

"Hi, honey. What can I get you?" the woman asked. She didn't speak condescendingly, but as if Courtney was a member of her family. Courtney felt instantly at home.

"A cup of coffee, please."

"Coming right up." The woman turned around and pulled the coffeepot from the burner that kept it warm. "Have you heard anything from Luke?" the woman addressed the question to the guy skimming the paper.

"No, but I'm still looking." The guy tossed the paper on the counter.

Courtney discreetly tugged the paper over to her when the bold type up top caught her eye. If the headline was any indication, this place was pretty weird. Something about two people coming back from the dead...and one of them had a name that looked familiar. Her curiosity aroused, she turned to the guy, her hand already in her coat pocket, grasping for the paperwork. "Can I look at this?" 

He glanced her way and shrugged. "Yeah, sure."

Courtney compared the names of people her father associated with on the private investigator's list to that in the paper. Perfect match. This Corinthos guy was a mobster. Could he be bankrolling her father's gambling? God, her dad couldn't be that stupid. If you got into debt with one of those guys, you were as good as dead.

The guy next to her looked to the woman again. "You know, I should get going. I'll call you if I find anything."

"Bye, Lucky. And _be careful_."

"Hey, thanks for the paper," Courtney said hastily, holding it out to him.

"You can keep it," he said, declining it with a wave of his hands and a smirk. "Nothing very interesting in it anyway."

Courtney raised her eyebrows. Okay...did that mean stuff as weird as this happened around here all the time?

The woman pushed the steaming mug toward her. "There you go."

"Thanks," Courtney said, flashing a smile up at her. She took a sip, allowing the liquid warmth to spread throughout her body. 

"Hey, Lucky," she heard from the door. A very nicely dressed blond woman stepped up to the counter. She was wearing a neat outfit of charcoal slacks that matched her coat and a fancy black shirt. Courtney couldn't help envying her. She didn't exactly feel pretty in her baggy sweater and jeans. In fact, she felt completely ordinary. The only thing sort of special about her was that both her parents were dead except one really wasn't. And that wasn't exactly something she could feel good about. Suddenly, that lighthearted feeling she'd been carrying around in her heart since her meeting with Jason faded away. What she wouldn't give to look into those sapphire pools of endless understanding again...

"Hi, Mom," the new arrival addressed the woman behind the counter.

Bobbie came around to hug her daughter. "Hey, honey. It's so good to see you."

"Yeah, it's good to see you, too." Carly smiled.

Courtney watched them with tears forming in her eyes. She rubbed them away, focusing on the paper instead of the mother-daughter exchange she would never experience again.

The article described something that sounded like a movie plot. Some guy, Luis Alcazar, who had held this girl people had thought was dead, Brenda Barrett, captive for four years had barged into her cottage and shot a friend of hers, local businessman Jasper Jacks, Friday night. Brenda had proceeded to shield Mr. Jacks with her own body, knowing this Alcazar, who was madly in love with her, wouldn't hurt her. Then this other guy, the one whose name was on the list, "alleged" mob boss Michael Corinthos, Jr., had showed up and shot Alcazar twice. Corinthos had been presumed dead, and, really, Courtney couldn't blame anyone for thinking that. Hello, he'd been shot five times. Or at least the cops had been tricked into thinking he'd been shot five times. He actually hadn't been shot at all. Whatever. That was _way_ too confusing.

Even as she read, she was still vaguely aware of the conversation going on behind her. "You look upset," the hostess was saying. "Carly, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," the blond said a little too quickly. "It's just that—I don't know. Mike came by last night and he's really mad at Sonny and me for lying to him. I just wanted to make sure you weren't mad at me, too."

Courtney tore her eyes away from the paper when she heard his name. Carly's eyes were filled with tears and Courtney didn't need to be her mother to see whatever lie she had told was tearing her up inside.

The hostess pressed her mouth into a smile as she gave her arm a sympathetic, understanding pat. "Oh, honey. Why would I be mad at you? I figured out a long time ago that when it comes to you and Sonny, I just have to bite my tongue and hope for the best."

Carly smiled. "Thanks, Mom."

There were a thousand Mikes in the world, and these two couldn't be referring to hers. Courtney looked back at the paper.

That's when she came across his name.

__

Acting District Attorney Scott Baldwin says Corinthos's business partner, Jason Morgan, alleges that Corinthos shot in self-defense. This statement is contradictory, as Ms Barrett claims Morgan did not make an appearance until after Luis Alcazar was shot. It was, however, Ms Barrett's statement that secured the release of both Morgan and Corinthos. The PCPD will not be pressing charges...

Courtney didn't know what to think. Jason Morgan. The man with the name she loved so much, the man who had been so nice to her on the docks, who she couldn't deny feeling an inexplicable connection too...he was involved with the mob.

And not only was he involved with the mob, he was involved with Michael Corinthos. She'd heard enough about him in Atlantic City, but he was referred to with some nickname she couldn't remember. The guy supposedly ruled the entire East Coast, and part of Puerto Rico, too. His warehouse had been bombed, what, three times now?

This was what she got for trusting a stranger. Her mom had always warned her about that. Ugh, how stupid could she be?

He'd been so matter-of-fact, though, so...honest. Unlike any guy she'd ever met. He'd told her what had happened between him and that Elizabeth girl when he didn't owe her an explanation at all. And the way he'd listened to her about her mom and sounded genuinely sorry even though he hadn't known either of them...

Okay, she was getting way off the track here. There was no way she was going to get involved with some guy with ties to the mob. Not even if the guy happened to very nice and incredibly sexy. It just wasn't happening.

...But wasn't she sort of setting a double standard? Her dad was involved with the same guy, and that wasn't keeping her from wanting to find him.

The mom and daughter finished up their exchange, the hostess inviting the blonde to sit and stay awhile.

"I can't actually, I have to go get Michael. But thanks."

"I'll see you later."

Carly waved on her way out.

Her cup of coffee finished, Courtney decided it was time to go. She dug in her pocket, coming up with the exact change to pay for the liquid warmth. "Have a nice day," she said to the hostess, who returned the farewell.

Courtney was halfway to the door when a thought occurred to her. She really liked this place. It had a great atmosphere, and it was really clean. The place she had used to work had cockroaches crawling around, and she wouldn't have eaten anything there if her life depended on it. But this place...it was just all around nice.

She turned back to the hostess, a bit apprehensive to be asking this question when she hadn't seen any signs requesting help. "Excuse me, I'm sort of new in town and I'm looking for work. There wouldn't happen to be any job openings here, would there?"

"As a matter of fact...yes. We could use another waitress."

Courtney let out an inward sigh of relief. Now all she needed to do was get the job. How hard could that be? You really didn't need many qualifications. Endless pleasantness, the patience of a saint..."Great. Do you think I could fill out an application?"

Bobbie could tell this girl was going through some hard times. She could see the sadness in her eyes, and she just had to help. "You know what? I have the paperwork right here"—she pulled it and a pen from beneath the counter and passed it to Courtney—"and you can fill it out, but I like seeing firsthand how my waitresses interact with customers."

"Oh?" Courtney was surprised. Her old boss never would have used a technique like that.

"So, I'd like to put you on a trial period, if you're really interested in the job."

Was she kidding? "Believe me, I am. God, this is perfect. Thank you so much."

"When would you like to start?"

She got to pick? Now that was weird. Was everyone in this town nice? Well, obviously not everyone, she thought, reminding herself of the confrontation on the docks. But Jason, who had given her a sympathetic ear, Lucky, who had given her his paper, and this kind woman, who was giving her so many opportunities...if she didn't know better, which she did, she'd think it was too good to be true. "Um, wow. I can start tomorrow if you like."

That seemed to please the hostess just fine. "Great. I'm Bobbie Spencer, by the way. I own Kelly's with my brother, but chances are you won't be meeting him anytime soon."

"Courtney Matthews." They shook hands, sealing their business arrangement and their introductions. "You wouldn't happen to know of any cheap places to stay around here, would you?"

"Actually, we have rooms upstairs here. The room comes with the job."

Courtney was starting to get suspicious. This was way too easy. "Look, I'm not a charity case or anything." Yeah, right. Half the clothes she owned came from the Salvation Army, and now she didn't even have a half-dollar in her pocket.

"I didn't think you were. I give all the girls the same offer."

Her mom had taught her to be suspicious, but one of her friends had told her when a popular guy had asked her out that sometimes a date was just a date, that maybe the guy wasn't looking to get some, but just to get to know her. Her friend had been wrong, the dude was only looking to go places Courtney didn't want to, but maybe the same principle applied here—the offer was just an offer. She decided to take it. "Thank you, Ms. Spencer."

"Bobbie," she insisted, reaching under the counter and coming up with a piece of silvery metal. "Here's the key. Third room on the left. One of the other waitresses lives here, and my nephew, Lucky, who you just met. Why don't you bring your stuff upstairs and then you can come down and tell me a little bit about yourself?"

Courtney accepted the key with a smile. "Okay." She picked up the private investigator's documentation and the newspaper, swinging her bag onto her shoulder. "I'll be right down."

With that, she headed upstairs to check out her new home, hoping it wouldn't end up being an extremely temporary one.

~*~

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P.S. That was pretty boring. But there just might be Journey next chapter ;)


	5. Chapter 4: Invitations and Orders

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Author's Note: theblondeone07: Thank you!

starbright: Thanks a lot. Here's that Journey for ya coming riiiight up!

light*hope: LOL, I appreciate the every-chapter review thing, 'tis nice. Blame the multitude of adjectives on the fantasy stuff I write. You have to come up with ten names for everything so you won't be repetitive :p I hope you manage to get your other story done by your self-imposed deadline, and whenever the next chapter in Golden Child comes out, you know I'll be reading it and thinking it worth the wait because it is! I love that story :)

ghjourneybabe: Hello, I love Journey, too, duh. :p Thanks for the review and for reading :D

Always Rosalind: That's Shamira in a nutshell: a tease. Glad you know me so well ;) I also love Bobbie, and I'm glad to see her around more often. The show is getting back to enjoyable with her, Luke, and Jax back...I can't believe I'm over despising Jax for dumping Brenda at the altar. I thought I was going to hate him forever. Anyway, thanks :)

brittney: There is going to be a LOT of Journey, no worries about that. They are the center of this whole story, with a few side storylines of course. Glad you're looking forward to it and hopefully I can deliver :)

tydavislover: Glad you like it, and you _have_ to buy the movie. I'm not turning into a saleman...woman...whatever. Paramount must love me. Anyway, thanks for reading!

Rory4: Thank you! I have a tendency of mention this a lot...I have a 2-week deadline for each chapter in all the stories I do so people don't have to wait _too_ long. :D

Dawndrina: Cool, I'll have to check your stories out, and I'm so glad you like my writing.

Okay, I'm sort of playing with time a little here...we're pretending that Alcazar#1 has _magically_ recovered from his gunshot wound(s) even though Courtney just read in the paper that he had been shot and had his trial where he pulled in a debt from the government to get off Scott (no pun intended) free. Also, as I said before, Emily has been back in town a month or so and I'm going to say she's with Zander, because Nikolas was still with Gia at this time and it was a different Nikolas :-p Different Gia, too, for that matter, and a different Lucky. I'm getting off track. I do that sometimes. The chapter:

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Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with General Hospital or ABC, and the dialogue of the S&C belongs to Guza, Pratt, and the writers of ABC. I am making no profit from using this dialogue.

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Reflection

Chapter Four ~ Invitations and Orders

Courtney raced down the stairs, her hair, still damp from the shower she'd taken in record time, flying out behind her. Her room was nice, furnished with a dresser, desk, and nightstand, the bed queen-sized and comfy. The only problem with her new residence, besides the lack of a clock, was that the bathroom was a community one. She hadn't gotten up quite early enough to be the first in line for the shower, and now she was horrified she was going to be late for the first day of her trial period. That would make a horrible profession!

She took the last few stairs in a single leap and rushed over to the counter, where Bobbie was refilling the sugar dispensers. "Oh my God, I am so sorry if I'm late," she said, slightly out of breath from her whirlwind of activity.

Bobbie looked up with the warm smile Courtney was learning to expect from her no matter what happened. "Oh, honey, you're not late. We haven't even opened yet. Now, don't worry about it."

"Okay." If Bobbie wasn't going to treat it like a big deal, then she wasn't going to either. "What can I do?"

Bobbie picked up a bunch of tiny yellow flowers that had been lying on the counter and placed them in front of Courtney. "Well, you can start by replacing the flowers in the vases at each table with these."

And so Courtney's workday began. The preparations were easy, and the first batch of customers were awfully cheerful. She didn't have to fake pleasantness at all. The customers seemed to sense that every smile was sincere, and tipped well. She couldn't believe how much she'd made in the first hour. It would have taken an entire shift, possibly a double, to get that much at the other restaurant!

About an hour-and-a-half into the morning rush, a somewhat frazzled looking girl with light brown hair that fell in waves to the center of her back pulled up a stool at the counter. "A cup of coffee, please, to go. Are you new here?"

Courtney glanced up in surprise. No one had asked her that question yet. "Yeah, actually. I'm Courtney. I just started this morning. How did you know?" She took a styrofoam cup from the shelf behind her and began to fill it with the requested beverage.

"Oh, I know all the waitresses here and I hadn't seen you around before. I'm Emily. I used to work here, actually."

"Really?" Courtney said, interested, not feigning interest.

"Yeah. That's how I found out waiting on people definitely wasn't my lot in life. Not that working here was bad or anything," Emily added hastily, realizing how it might have sounded.

Courtney laughed, having understood what she meant without the tacked on explanation. "I totally understand. This isn't a job for everyone, that's for sure." It definitely wasn't one she wanted to spend the rest of her life doing.

"Definitely not," Emily said, accepting her cup with thanks and beginning to stir in her preferred amounts of cream and sugar. "So, are you coming to the ball tonight?" she inquired.

"What ball?" Courtney asked, frowning a little. A ball? As much as she loved fairytales, things like the ball Cinderella attended didn't happen in real life. Not in her real life, anyway.

"The Halloween Costume Ball," Emily explained. "Everyone dresses up and has a really good time. At least that's what I've heard; this is the first year they've done it. It's for charity."

It sounded like a lot of fun. Courtney had always liked dressing up, thought she'd never really had the opportunity to go all-out with it. She liked feeling like was someone else, someone pretty, every once in awhile. Unfortunately... "That sounds like a great cause and everything, but I can't exactly afford it right now."

Emily slapped the cover on her cup. "Oh, that's just why I asked. I have an extra ticket."

Courtney couldn't believe how generous that offer was. What was this girl after? "I couldn't possibly accept that."

"Well, actually, it's my friend Lucky's ticket, but he had to go out of town at the last minute and told me to find someone to give it to. I've been trying all day, and you're the only person I've come across who doesn't have tickets and is actually interested in going."

That sounded believable enough...Lucky came across as a charitable guy. He'd shared his paper with her, after all. She'd love to go, but... "I don't exactly have anything to wear."

Emily waved a hand. "Oh, I'm sure you'll come up with something. And in case you can't, the organizers of the ball have put me in charge of the costumes, and I'll come at seven with the box. You see, if you don't come dressed up, I have to hand you a costume at the door. That way everyone feels equally embarrassed."

"Wow. I don't know what to say. Just, God, thank you so much." Courtney was astounded by the generosity of the people in this town.

"Thank you! I never thought I was going to get rid of that ticket. See you then!" Emily picked up her coffee and waved on her way out the door.

Only a few moments later, the girl from the docks walked in. "Hey, Bobbie. Sorry I'm late," she called over, taking off her coat and hanging it on the rack. Courtney remained frozen in place, just watching the girl. Elizabeth walked around the counter stopped dead in her tracks, finally seeing Courtney standing there. "You," she said, with poorly hidden contempt.

"You," Courtney replied, just as icily.

"What are you doing here?" Elizabeth said in the same tone.

"I work here."

Elizabeth held up an index finger. "No, you have that backwards. _I_ work here." She turned the finger around and pointed it at herself.

Courtney shrugged, turning away. "Well, I do now, too, so I guess you're just going to have to get used to it." With that, she grabbed a plate of food and went to deliver it to a customer.

~*~

The rest of the morning was perfectly horrible. Bobbie had to leave—apparently she was a surgical nurse as well as the owner of Kelly's and she was needed for an emergency surgery. Elizabeth didn't say two words to her, communicating only with occasional glares. Courtney was okay with that. She ignored her, because it wasn't really worth her time. The shift was drawing to a close as she went out back to check with the cook about the specials.

Just as she went out back, Jason walked in, doing a quick sweep of the interior to see who was around before going to the counter.

Elizabeth saw him and made a face, grabbing one of the laminated folde. She dropped the menu in front of Jason, not making eye contact. "Here you go. I'll get you some more coffee." She turned around to get the pot, but Jason grabbed her arm.

"Are you—wait, hold on. You're just going to walk by me from now on?" Jason couldn't understand completely why she was being so frosty.

"I'm going to treat you like any other customer—like I barely know you, because I don't. So, what can I get you?" Elizabeth gave him the same quick, insincere smile she flashed all her customers when she took their orders.

"The usual."

"And what would that be?" Even as she asked it, Elizabeth saw Jason's eyes stray from her to Courtney as she came out of the kitchen. "You get it for him." Fuming, she went to attend to another customer out front.

Courtney's eyebrows nearly brushed her hairline as she raised them, but she didn't ask. "What can I get you?"

"Just black coffee."

Courtney pulled a mug off the shelf and the coffeepot from the machine. "Coming right up."

"You work here," he said as she filled the cup nearly to the rim and carefully slid it over to him. It was a statement. It was obvious she was working there, and Courtney had already figured out that Jason Morgan didn't waste time asking questions he already knew the answer to.

Courtney put the pot away and crossed her arms on the counter before her. "Yeah, actually. The owner, Bobbie Spencer, she hired me yesterday. Well, not hired exactly. I'm sort of on a trial basis. But it's good to have a job, you know?"

Jason nodded. He doubted Courtney would have a problem getting a more permanent position at Kelly's; she was a sweet girl who took the time to interact with her customers, hypnotizing them with her smile and her personality. He knew because it was happening to him right now. "How long are you in town?"

Courtney considered for a moment. "Well, I guess it depends on how things go after I find my dad. And that's going to take awhile."

"Maybe I could help you with that."

Courtney looked up in surprise. A total stranger, offering her help. Not a total stranger, she corrected herself. She did know his name. And she could tell by looking at him that he was completely sincere. She couldn't help feeling charmed, if a little cautious. He was involved with the mob, after all. Why was that fact bothering her less and less every second that passed with her looking into his eyes? She flashed a shy smile his way saying, "You know, I might take you up on that," before heading back into the kitchen.

Jason watched her go, admiring the grace with which she moved. He'd never seen anyone move like that, like they were walking on air and had to tread softly so as not to fall through...

"Hey!"

The exclamation was only an inch from Jason's ear. To his credit, he managed not to jump. Maybe because he was getting used to people—or at least this person—screaming right up in his face. He groaned. "Not you."

"Yes, me," Brenda agreed, pulling up the stool next to him without asking his permission or whether or not the seat was already taken—of course it wasn't. Who in their right mind would want to share breakfast with Jason Morgan? Even if they got over the whole enforcer thing, there was that whole conversation thing. Or lack there of. She placed her entwined hands palms-down on the counter. "Do you have a problem with me? What's your problem with me?"

Jason massaged his temples, feeling a headache coming on already. "What do you want?"

"Who said I wanted anything? What, I can't try to start a conversation with you?"

No, she just couldn't start a conversation with him without having an ulterior motive. "What do you want?" he repeated, slowly this time, as if he were talking to a three-year-old, except most three-year-olds he liked better than Brenda Barrett.

"You know they're having a Halloween costume ball tonight, you know, for charity?" Brenda continued, ignoring the condescending way in which he spoke to her. He had a problem, she knew he had a problem, and she had a problem with him, too, so they were all even. That didn't mean she couldn't annoy him as much as she wanted to.

"Yeah, I've heard of it. Sonny and Carly are going."

"Are you going?"

"I'm not going with you," Jason said flatly.

Brenda rolled her eyes. "I wasn't asking if you would go with me, I was asking if you were going. So are you going?"

"No, I'm not going."

"Come on, you have to go. Everyone's going."

"I'm not going," Jason said, putting emphasis on each individual word.

"Sonny and Carly are going, you just said so yourself. Don't you think you should go, too? You know, to guard them or something? Isn't that what you live for, guarding Sonny?" Brenda said all of it at her usual one-hundred-miles-an-hour pace. Unlike most people, Jason didn't have to stop and split her syllables into words before responding.

"I am not going, for no other reason than to not be in the same room as you!" Jason finally snapped. It was a quiet snap, so as not to draw attention to their argument, but it was a snap just the same.

"That's nice," Brenda said, not in the least bit hurt. In fact, she was in a better mood knowing she'd irritated him enough to put him into a worse one. But she didn't let on as she picked up her purse and skipped out the door.

~*~

Carly, dressed from head to toe in black with a tall, bent witch's hat perched on top of her head, played with the corners of her short black wig as she came down the stairs. "Now, you know, there's still time. We can come up with a costume for you," she addressed her husband, knowing full well what his answer would be.

"No, no, no. You know what?"

"What?" Carly tilted her head to one side, smirking.

"I don't do mud, I don't cook desserts, and I don't wear costumes. You know what I'm going to do? I'm going to escort you to this charity benefit and I'm going to watch you and everybody else make fools of themselves." Sonny kind of laughed at the end of that. This was going to be funny.

Carly pretended to be offended, wiping all traces of a smile off her face. "Okay, you know what, I am so glad that Michael is asleep and he can't hear his father being negative about Halloween. Brat."

The door clicked shut just then. "Why are you calling Sonny a brat?" Jason asked, not sounded particularly interested.

"Because," and Carly went into a long rant about lack of Halloween spirit, which Jason obligingly listened to.

"We should probably get going, Carly," Sonny said, in an attempt to save Jason's ears.

"What about Jason? Aren't you coming?"

"No."

"Oh, come on. You have to come. For me," Carly said, wrapping her arms around Jason from behind. Jason smiled, laughed a little, looked at Sonny with an expression in his eyes that yelled, "Help me!" at the top of its lungs. Sonny smirked, then decided that Jason was his best friend and he probably owed it to him to rescue him...as amusing as it was to watch Carly picking on someone else for a change.

"Carly, leave Jason alone." He said it as if he was speaking to a five-year-old who was picking on her brother.

"You don't think he should go?"

Sonny shrugged. "If Jason doesn't want to go, Jason doesn't want to go."

"You're no fun," Carly said to Jason and then pointed at Sonny. "And neither are you. Just let me grab my bag." She went back upstairs.

Jason sighed. "You know, as much as I hate to admit it, Carly's right. I should go."

Sonny gave him a perfectly blank look at this sudden turnaround.

"Brenda's going, and Alcazar's still around. He's still after her, and as much as I don't like her, this thing is perfect time for him to grab her."

Sonny glanced at the stairs, knowing Carly would go ballistic if she heard them. "You have a point."

Jason nodded resignedly.

He knew exactly what Jason was doing. "You don't have to do this, you know."

"I know," Jason replied, saying without saying he knew he didn't, but he was going to anyway.

"All right, let's go," Carly said, breezing past them to the door. She turned back when she discovered they weren't following her. "Are you coming or what?"

Sonny and Jason looked at each other, shrugged, and went after her.

"I thought you weren't coming," Carly said suspiciously as they stepped into the elevator.

~*~

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P.S. I bet you can't _imagine_ whose going to run into whom at the ball, can you? [face_I'm_not_predictable]


	6. Chapter 5: Dancing with the Devil

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Author's Note: You reviewers make me want to jump for joy! :D Sorry for the long wait...not over the 2 week deadline but it certainly took long enough :p I spent like 75% of the past 2 weekends working outside and then the other 25% sleeping...but I'm back and hopefully on track!

starbright: Thank you!

light*hope: I can't imagine how you don't have a clue who she meets at the ball [face_clueless] LOL, anyway, it's whatever Em you want it to be...I like 'em both. They're both great actresses. If you watch _Joan of Arcadia,_ ex-Emily is Joan. I'm so happy you can actually feel attraction between Journey...it's kind of pointless if the readers can't pick up anything between them :p Ooo, I'd love to have Courtney do a ballet solo...I think I'll do that...just not this chapter, too much going on. But it _will_ happen! Can't wait for next in Golden Child. Take however long you need :) Those two sentences conflict, but I think you know what I'm saying...

ghjourneybaby: Thank you!

Rory4: And now you see...the story unfolds...thanks for reading :)

abc: This story is planned up to chapter 10, and you _will_ be getting a Journey dance :D

SaMaRaKrYsTaL :p: Thanks a lot, glad you like how I'm forming the movie plot around the actual GH!

Dawndrina: Jason and Courtney will be dancing...several chapters down the road, and you'll be getting your wish. Thanks for the idea, you gave me quite a few and it should make this way more interesting.

tydavislover: *blush* "ever"? That's quite a compliment, and I'm thrilled you like it so much! Congrats on getting the movie! I have a computer that plays DVDs so I can watch it as I write, very convenient, lol.

AllHart: I thought Brazen was awesome, too, even though I adore Journey as well. I miss the show back then...it was funny and romantic and now it seems to be all angst...ah well, Guza and Pratt shall get their heads on straight eventually, or so I hope :p Thanks for reading!

theblondeone07: Well, you should like the next few chapters if those are the two things you can't wait to see :D Thanks!

Forgive me if Alcazar#1 is not in character but I have forgotten him and gotten him confused with his brother (which isn't all that hard, it being the same actor), he did die a year ago :p All I really remember was that he was obsessed with Brenda :p

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Reflection

Chapter Five ~ Dancing with the Devil in Disguise

Courtney checked out her reflection in the mirror on her bureau and bit her lip. She wasn't sure if it was right. The only thing she owned that was a close to a costume was her tutu, which she now wore with light pink tights and calf-high black leather boots with heels—her only pair of shoes anywhere near "cool." She'd tried to curl her hair, but it wasn't easy with only the hairdryer that came with the room. She'd wrapped her locks around a finger than then blew the hot air on them until they were pretty much dry. The result? Soft waves that didn't look too bad. Makeup wasn't a problem because her old boss insisted that his waitresses look good. She'd applied a bit of eyeliner and mascara, trying to keep the cosmetics soft because she didn't want to look like a hooker. The result was two conflicting looks—hooker costume, classy makeup.

Oh well. It was the best she had.

She heard the bells chime as the door downstairs opened. She checked her clock. 7:03 P.M., almost exactly the time Emily had promised to show up with her magic bag of costumes. With one last backward glance at the strange girl in the mirror, she headed for the stairs.

When she was halfway down, she saw Emily catch sight of her and clamp her hands over her mouth.

Courtney stopped, clutching the edges of her frilled skirt. "Is it that bad?"

Emily immediately removed her hands from her mouth. "No, no. You look...wow, you look amazing."

"Really?"

"Yes, really."

"Are you sure? I don't look like a..." Courtney trailed off, not wanting to offend Emily.

"A hooker?" Emily finished, alleviating her worries. "No. Do you feel like you do?"

Courtney smiled shyly. The only time she showed off her legs so much was when dancing, and this might be a dance, but not the right kind of dance. "Sort of."

Emily tucked her hands behind her ears and began searching through the large duffle bag at her feet. "Well, then let's see what we can do to fix that."

Courtney stood there, watching her. Emily looked absolutely stunning. Her light brown hair, elongated with hair extensions, cascaded down her back in loose waves, and her medieval-type dress was absolutely breathtaking. It was made of fine crimson silk and fit Emily perfectly.

"Here we go!" Emily exclaimed, much like a modern-day teenager, shattering the image of a princess from years past as she straightened with a frilly pink skirt in her hands. It was the same shade as Courtney's tutu. "You can put this under your other skirt and it will cover you up."

Courtney reached out, cautiously taking the skirt from Emily's not nearly so gentle hands. She couldn't believe how fine the material was. This sure wasn't made from any shower curtain. "I guess I'll just go upstairs and put this on..." Courtney began.

"Oh, don't be silly. Do you think I care? We're both girls."

Courtney laughed. Emily had a point. After all, the restaurant was empty except for the two of them. So she carefully slipped into the skirt, lifting it to her waist.

Emily reached out and began to tie the ribbons in the back. "Here, let me help you with this." As soon as she was done, she said, "There," and stepped back to examine her project. "Mmmhmm," she said, and went back into the bag. Courtney released the skirt and watched her. Emily soon straightened with a bottle and tiara in hand. She secured the tiara to Courtney's head and then held out the bottle.

"What's this?"

"Body glitter," Emily replied. "Just rub it on your shoulders and arms. It looks real pretty."

Courtney obeyed, and Emily rubbed it where she couldn't reach. When they were done, Emily stepped back to take in the whole picture. She nodded.

"What do you think?" Courtney asked nervously.

"You look _amazing._ Straight out of a fairytale, like Cinderella."

Courtney let out a laugh of relief. She caught a glimpse of herself in the windows, and couldn't believe it was her. Her lifelong dream was coming to life. She actually felt...well, pretty. And she didn't feel uncomfortable about it at all. "Thank you," she said. Emily had the magic touch. She didn't realize that it was her who made the outfit so becoming.

Before Emily could say anything else, someone came down the stairs, saying, "Oh, good, you're here, Em. Are you ready to go? We don't want to be late."

Courtney caught sight of Elizabeth coming down the stairs, clutching the skirt of her pale green dress.

"Wow, you look great," Courtney said, meaning it.

Elizabeth's head jerked upward at the sound of her voice, her eyes giving Courtney a quick visual sweep. Instead of returning the compliment, she asked, "What is she doing here?"

The confidence and goodwill that had filled Courtney a moment before drained away, along with her smile.

Emily looked from Courtney to Elizabeth, not missing the tone in Elizabeth's voice. "Um...I invited Courtney to come to the ball with us."

"Oh..." Elizabeth said, flashing Courtney an insincere smile that was closer to a snarl before turning a more pleasant one on Emily. "Where's Zander?"

"Oh, he's going to meet us there," Emily said with a nod, picking the duffle bag up.

"Who's Zander?" Courtney asked, trying to break the ice.

"My boyfriend." Emily positively beamed as she said it, and Courtney's heart swelled with her happiness.

"Yes, they've known each other for a very long time, kind of like me and Jason," Elizabeth said, sending another fake smile Courtney's way.

__

Oh really? Didn't look that way to me, Courtney thought, but didn't say it. Still, she felt like something had been crushed inside her when Elizabeth said that, and she couldn't figure out what it was.

"Right..." Emily said slowly, and then picked up speed as she changed the subject. "We should get going. We don't want to be late, especially if I'm supposed to be handing out costumes."

"Well, then what are we waiting for?" Courtney asked cheerfully. Even if Elizabeth was bringing her down on the inside, she wasn't going to let it show.

The three girls headed out the door, Courtney and Emily laughing as Courtney picked up the back of Emily's dress so it wouldn't drag, Emily's hands being occupied with the duffle bag.

~*~

Set up just inside the front door of Club 101, Courtney and Emily went about the business of handing out costumes, which definitely wasn't as easy as Courtney had originally thought it would be. There were tons of kids, mostly teenage boys, who shot them and the costumes disdainful looks and refused to put them on. But door duty was still fun, as they got to see all the amazing costumes.

Ten minutes after the club had opened for the charity ball, a dangerously handsome yet cute guy dressed as a Confederate soldier stepped through the door, tipping his hat to Emily. "Hey, beautiful."

Emily giggled and introduced him. "This is my Prince Charming. Courtney, Zander. Zander, this is Courtney."

Courtney smiled. "Hey. Nice to meet you."

"You, too."

The music changed to a waltz, and Zander bowed, taking Emily's hand and kissing it softly. "May I have this dance?"

Emily groaned. "Oh, don't tempt me."

There was no way Courtney was going to keep anyone from dancing with her prince at this ball. "No, go ahead. I can handle things here."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. You go ahead."

Emily took Zander's hand and they moved out onto the dance floor, disappearing among the many hoop skirts and feathered hats. For a long time, she watching the movement on the floor, getting lost in memories of what had been. Sadness flooded her heart as she thought of her lost dream, and the people she'd lost along the way of pursuing it. Her mom, her dad, increasingly larger pieces of herself. Ballet was what she loved, but it had cost her so much. What if she started again? She didn't have the money, but if she did, would this childish dream of hers continue to take away the people she loved most in her life?

She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she almost let someone get by her. Luckily, she shook free of her grievous thoughts in time to reach out and catching just a centimeter of his suit jacket between her thumb and forefinger. "Hey, hey, hey." It was just enough to get him and the woman he was with to turn around. It took a moment for her to recognize the woman, dressed up as a strangely lovely witch, as Bobbie's daughter—Carly, wasn't it? "Don't you want a costume?" Courtney asked with what she hoped was her most dazzling smile.

At first she thought it was working, because he sort of laughed along with her. Then he spoke. "I don't think so."

"Oh, come _on_," she coaxed.

He shook his head. "I don't do costumes."

"Do you happen to have any fascist leader costumes?" Carly cut in. "Napoleon, Hitler, something?"

Courtney raised her hands, tucking her hair behind her ears, unsure of how to respond. She really didn't think it was a good idea to offend anyone. "Um..."

Carly wrinkled up her nose in a wry kind of smile. "Didn't think so. He's a lost cause, anyway. Come on, let's go." She grabbed onto her man, who was giving her a perfectly bland expression, and pulled him into the crowd.

As soon as they were out of earshot, Courtney burst out laughing.

Jason paused in the doorway, feeling the faintest of smiles tugging at his lips. There was that girl, Courtney, laughing at seemingly nothing, and looking beautiful as she did it. Her cheeks were rosy, and all of her seemed to glow with the laugh. Her joy reached even his supposedly frozen heart, melting it just enough to allow the smile.

And then she caught sight of him and her gorgeous smile went away, and in turn so did Jason's. 

"What, are you everywhere?" she snapped.

Jason frowned, a look of confusion crossing his face. "No..." he said slowly. "I'm just here."

"Riiiight..." Courtney dragged out the word, disbelieving. She wanted to buy that it was just a coincidence that they kept running into each other, but her mom had taught her not to believe in such a thing. This guy must want something from her, and she wasn't willing to give it. She turned and walked away, tapping Emily on the shoulder and asking if she wouldn't mind taking over door duty for awhile.

"Oh, sure," Emily replied, a little startled by the request.

"Who was that?" Carly asked Jason on the other side of the dance floor.

Jason shrugged, didn't answer. Some things Carly didn't need to know. She didn't need to know about Courtney. Not yet. Still, his eyes followed Courtney across the dance floor with that grace and confidence that made it so hard for him to tear his eyes from her. Something about her drew him to her, tugged at something deep down inside of him.

Across the dance floor, yet another person had observed the interaction. Luis Alcazar. A smile of his own formed. Perhaps Brenda could be his after all...

~*~

"Oh, good, you came! I'm so happy you came! Aren't you happy you came?"

No one should use that many exclamation marks in a single breath. Jason could already feel the headache coming on. "Brenda..."

The owner of that name was clad in a vibrant display of blue, red, yellow, and green that could really hurt your eyes if you looked at her too long. Little bells dangled from her jester hat, and Jason thought her face should crack from the width of her grin. "You came for me, right? You came because you didn't want me to dance alone. Come on, dance with me."

Jason rolled his eyes toward the ceiling, asking God why he was here.

~*~

Courtney didn't know what had come over, snapping at Jason like that. Maybe she was being overly cautious or something. Was there such a thing as being overly cautious? He might seem like a nice guy, but he was involved in the mob, and you couldn't be too cautious around a person connected like that.

But she didn't feel cautious around Jason. She felt...she didn't know how to describe it. But there was something about him that made her want to tell him everything on her mind.

Well, at least there had been until tonight. And suddenly it occurred to her what was wrong. It was Elizabeth Webber. What she'd said about her and Jason being together for a very long time. It made her angry at Jason for no reason. What right did she have to be angry? She didn't even know him!

__

Damn it, Courtney! She needed to get herself together. She was supposed to be having fun, not thinking about her mom, her dad, or some stranger that seemed to be taking over her mind. She'd just step into the lady's room until she'd pulled herself together enough to put on a happy front.

That's when someone grabbed her arm, pulling her into his grasp and clamping a hand over her mouth. She let out a shriek that didn't make it past his fingers.

"Associating with Morgan, are you?"

~*~

"Come on. What, is it going to kill you to dance with me? Dance with me."

Brenda kept on trying to convince him, tugging on his arm, but Jason's attention was focused somewhere else. Anger exploded inside him as he honed in on the secluded corner. He pulled away from Brenda, not hearing her call out, asking what was wrong with him. He saw him, a man in a mask, holding Courtney tight, a hand over her mouth, whispering something in her ear, probably a threat. Her eyes were wide with surprise, fright. It didn't matter who it was, he had to protect her.

And then he was there, his hands gripping the man's arm, pulling him away from Courtney, punching him, kicking him, anything to get the message across. People were screaming, people he knew, but he ignored them. It didn't matter.

Courtney felt someone tear the man off her before he could complete his threat. She whirled around. All eyes were on the two man having it out in the middle of the club. "Jason, stop!" Courtney screamed, horrified that he'd be hurt, that he'd get in trouble, all for defending her.

~*~

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P.S. Who knows if Brenda would ever go as a jester? Not I, that's for sure :p


	7. Chapter 6: The Police Station

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Author's Note: This chapter _should_ (well, technically I have till the 25th to meet my self-imposed deadline) have been up on Sunday. I had all the dialogue written and only had to add thoughts and descriptions and stuff. Then I cut and pasted some transcripts from when Courtney first came to town into the document for later reference. I saved my document and next time I went to enter it, it locked up the second it was open. I tried a few more times, same thing happened. I tried restarting, shutting down my computer, cut and pasting before I got the "illegal operation box" and I tried opening it about 50 times (and that's _not_ an exaggeration). I couldn't recover ANYTHING from that document...all the dialogue, the chapter-by-chapter plot I'd worked out, some of the scenes I wrote ahead of time, some song lyrics, and the stupid transcripts. I think the problem was/is there was a photo in the transcripts that Microsoft Word couldn't open so it keeps locking up. Long story short, I had to rewrite everything I had written and I don't like it nearly as much as I had but I tried and I hope you can see that though the less-than-perfect writing :p

light*hope: Not at the ball but possibly somewhere ;) I like ramblings, it's good, and you beat me with Golden Child! Great job! You won't have if the above happened...you send me a virus or something to buy yourself more time? [face_suspicious] LOL, just kidding and thanks for reading :D

starbright: Glad you like ZEm's together, I did that mostly for you, and glad you love the Journey. :)

Tamara: LOL, hey, you won't get yourself in trouble with me when it comes to Liz. Love that movie too. Thanks for dropping a line! And yep, I got both your reviews ;) I hate those proxy errors...

abc:Thanks! It'll be a while before the Journey dance and now I have to rewrite the scene *is pissed* but hopefully it'll turn out okay...Courtney is either 19 or 20...whichever works for you :p

theblondeone07: I tried to hurry. It didn't work. Life is so unfair. And I'll stop whining because it changes absolutely nothing!

luvssts: No, thank you for reading this story :D It is my pleasure to write it!

Samarakystal :p : Glad you liked the outfits at the ball and thanks for reading!

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Fun fact: This was before Luke burning down the police station. You guys remember that happening, right? LOL this is hard. Everything was so different a year ago!

Reflection

****

Chapter Six ~ The Police Station

"Jason, stop!" Courtney continued to yell. He had the guy on the floor, was holding him down, punching him, making sure he stayed down.

The man was away from her, and the last thing Jason wanted to do was frighten her, but he wanted to be sure this guy got the message: to never come near her and threaten her or any other woman again. He reached down and pulled the mask off, and stepped back. Luis Alcazar lay on the floor.

And then Scott Baldwin and Marcus Taggert were upon them.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" the acting district attorney asked a little too cheerfully.

"Anger Boy attacking a man in a room full of witnesses. Not very smart, Morgan." Taggert shook his head as if he was disappointed, when Jason knew he couldn't be more thrilled.

Scotty turned to his counterpart. "What do you say, Taggert? We got enough for an on-the-spot-arrest?"

"That depends on Mr. Alcazar."

Alcazar...that name sounded familiar to Courtney but she couldn't place it yet...

Luis smiled, nodded. "I'll press charges."

Taggert turned around, producing a pair of handcuffs. "Jason Morgan, you are under arrest for the assault of Luis Alcazar. You have the right to remain silent..."

Courtney couldn't believe this, how these two supposed police officers were talking back and forth about arresting Jason without even asking anyone what had happened. Seeing that no one else was going to step forward, she did. "Okay, you can't do this. This man grabbed me! Jason was defending me!"

Baldwin tipped in her direction, widening his eyes as he exclaimed, "Watch me!"

No, this was completely wrong. She looked into Jason's sincere eyes and hissed, "They can't dothis!"

"It's okay," he said softly. "I get arrested a lot."

She didn't care if it happened _everyday_, this was wrong. She turned to the crowd that had gathered around them, desperate to get someone to voice support. "They can't _do_ this!"

"You have the right to an attorney..." Taggert droned on, drowning out her voice.

Someone caught hold of her elbow. It was the same man he had almost let slip by her at the door when she was lost in thought. "Okay, you know what? It's better for everybody if you just stay quiet," he told her, just loud enough for her and no one else to hear.

"So what, are you just going to stand around and let them arrest Jason for defending me?" she spat between clenched teeth. "Maybe you can do that, but I can't." She turned around to argue with the two cops some more, but another person grabbed her arm, this time Carly.

"You need to listen to us, okay?" Carly said, her eyes pleading with Courtney to listen and understand. "Arguing with them is only going make things worse for Jason."

"You're just going to let them get away with this?" Jason was being dragged away. She watched him go, feeling something in her heart breaking and unsure of what that something was. She wasn't ready to explore that yet.

Sonny shook his head. "Scott Baldwin's an idiot."

Courtney would have laughed aloud at the obviousness of that if she wasn't so angry. "Yeah. I can see that."

"He doesn't have anything to hold Jason on," he said by way of explanation.

Not much of an explanation. "Hello! Are you blind?" Courtney waved a hand in front of his face. "Jason attacked him in front of a room full of witnesses. Yeah, it was to protect me, but this Alcazar is pressing charges."

"You know, she has a point..." Carly agreed.

"Even Baldwin isn't—"

Emily came over at that exact moment, dragging Zander behind her and looking very concerned. "Hey, what's going on? Why'd they arrest Jason?"

Sonny sighed and began to explain. He didn't get past the first sentence.

"This is all your fault, Sonny!"

"Jason was never involved in criminal activity until he met you!"

The first was Ned Ashton, the second Alan Quartermaine. Courtney blinked at their sudden interruption. Who were all these people? How did everyone know Jason? Why wasn't anyone telling them to shut up? They were all rolling their eyes and keeping their mouths shut.

"Oh, come on," Emily tried.

"Must you defend all criminals?" an old man barked.

"I'm sure Jason had a reason to do what he did!" Monica objected.

A.J. rolled his eyes and threw up his hands. "Oh, sure. Stick by the Golden Boy no matter what. You saw him attack someone in public, and you're _still defending him!"_

"A.J., that is not fair!" Monica and Alan exclaimed.

And then shouting erupted from an interminable number of people. Courtney couldn't follow. There was a lot of yelling, something about a house and who owned it. But then they all started shouting at once, not even bothering to take turns or listen to each other. She was completely bewildered. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Sonny and Carly discretely making an exit now that the attention of the Quartermaines was redirected at each other and their shouting match.

Courtney threw once last glance at the Quartermaines before lifting her skirt off the floor and running after them. "Hey, wait!" she called. Thank goodness, they heard her and did. "You guys know Jason, right?"

"Right," Sonny replied, in a way that trailed off and invited her to explain why she was asking.

"And you're going down to the police station to make sure he's okay, right?"

"Right."

"Okay, can I come with you? I know, it sounds weird, but I need to make sure he's all right."

"How do you know Jason?" Carly cut in, sounding both curious and nosy.

"We've seen each other on the docks and at Kelly's a few times." Courtney rubbed her forehead. She was starting to get a headache. "It doesn't matter. What matters is that he's been arrested, and I cannot let him go to jail for something he did for me. Please, let me come with you." By the end she was actually begging.

"Well, if she feels like she has to...." Carly trailed off after a moment of thinking about it.

"Yeah, all right."

Courtney raised her eyebrows, hoping he meant it. "Really?"

"Yeah, come on. Let's go."

Courtney let out a sigh of relief as she went with them outside.

~*~

The police station was somewhat organized chaos, flooded with paperwork and lots of people sitting around doing nothing. Courtney saw Jason handcuffed to a chair and went over to him immediately.

"Are you okay?"

Jason looked around in confusion before asking lowly, "What are you doing here?"

"I'm not letting you go to jail for something you did for me, okay? I'm helping you whether you want me to or not."

Before Jason could object, Courtney turned to Baldwin. "Luis Alcazar is lying. He grabbed me and started to threaten me and Jason saw it!"

"Tell it to someone who cares," Scotty said, looking smugly satisfied.

Sonny tapped her on the shoulder. "Maybe you could just, you know, let me talk to him."

Courtney threw her hands up in defeat. Baldwin wasn't going to listen to her no matter what she said. "Yeah, sure."

"It'd be a pleasure, Corinthos!" Scotty said with a Cheshire grin.

Courtney put a hand over her heart, sure she might drop dead from shock. Corinthos. Michael "Sonny" Corinthos. Jason's boss. The guy her father was associating with. And she hadn't had a clue. It just proved what her mom had told her over again; you never could tell who someone really was. But she'd found a link to her dad, finally. Question was, did she want to be asking mobsters about his whereabouts? He might be in some kind of trouble. Maybe the mob was after him. Oh, God. Maybe Jason was after him!

Once she'd recovered a bit, she went over to Carly. "Hey, what is your, uh, your husband doing?" she asked nervously. Her heart wanted Jason to go free, but her mind was spinning with all the possibilities.

"He's talking to Scott Baldwin."

Yeah, Courtney had figured that much. "He thinks that's going to help? He said himself this guy is a complete idiot."

"I don't know. Scotty's an idiot, but he's smart enough to know how much public opinion counts."

"You lost me."

Carly turned to her, giving her all her attention. "Don't you know? He's running for district attorney, and he just lost a big case against Luis Alcazar. He pulled in a deal from the government at the last minute, so the whole trial was a waste of the taxpayer's money and let a crook out on the streets. Everyone knows he belongs in jail, and no one is going to care that Jason beat him up. Vigilante thing, you know? The law has failed, it does all the time, someone steps up and takes it into his own hands, why should he pay for it?"

"So, um, he, um, he thinks Baldwin's going to let Jason go?"

"Sonny," Carly supplied. "Yeah, he does. At least he hopes so."

Did he hope so because Jason was supposed to track down her father and deal with him in that way the mob did? They way that had something to do with burying people six feet under? A brief silence stretched before Courtney decided to break it. "So what exactly did this Luis Alcazar do?"

Carly laughed. "Okay, where do I start? Hmm, let's see, he hired someone to kill my husband, he blew up a warehouse which killed a girl, he held a woman captive for four years or at least that's what she claims, and he shot a guy. Oh, yeah, he's an international arms dealer, too."

Courtney's eyes widened and her eyebrows rose nearly to her hairline. She recognized the name now. It was from the paper. "Some model or something was the woman, right?"

"You _know_ Brenda?" There was no mistaking the disdain in Carly's voice.

Courtney laughed nervously. "Well, no. I just read about it in the paper."

"Oh," Carly said, and seemed read to say more when Sonny came back over. "What's going on?"

"You're free to go, Morgan!" Baldwin snapped as someone unlocked the handcuffs, looking as if he wished her could do anything else but release him.

Courtney didn't even have time to figure out whether she should be worried or relieved before a man was escorted into the PCPD. She was vaguely aware of the voices around her. "Isn't this sweet? A family affair," was Scotty's comment.

"And what are we bringing him on for?" Taggert inquired.

"Drunk and disorderly disturbing the peace," the officer informed him.

"Perfect timing, Mike. Your son here can bail you out."

"I don't have a son," he slurred.

Carly made a face. "Oh, Mike. You don't mean that."

"You know what? Don't bother," Sonny advised her.

Courtney felt herself getting choked up. Suddenly she couldn't breathe. It was all she could do to get out the word. "Daddy?"

~*~

****

P.S. Hope you liked. And hey, feel free to tell me everything you'd like to see happen in this fic. I've gotten plenty of great ideas from people who've done that, and since this fic doesn't have a fixed plot...well, all ideas would be good :D


	8. Chapter 7: It's Okay

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Author's Note: Not late, but not timely. I've lost a little inspiration since I lost all that stuff I mentioned last chapter. That and the TV Megasite is having "issues" so I can't exactly read over past transcripts to see how this happened on the show. So...this is all from memory, and isn't as good as my usual work, IMO, because I get my characterizations from religious reading of similar-to-my-fanfic transcripts. Hope you like anyway. You guys don't seem to be as critical of my work as I am, lol. And that is a _good_ thing :p But guess what?! I finally, finally have a more long-term idea of what I'm doing with this. Yay!!!

Tamara: Isn't everything Luke does funny? :p I love your idea for a friendship between Em and Courtney, that'd be great! Thanks for reading :D

light*hope: LOL, glad people liked the Q's. Thanks so much for the offer to help, and the error was an "illegal operation." Unfortunately in a moment of pure frustration, I just deleted the document so there's no going back :p Oh well. Maybe this will be better for me having to rewrite stuff. I'm _really_ stretching for positives, aren't I, lol. I like NEm too, but Nikolas was still with Gia so I can't do it :( Maybe I'll include NEm in a fic further down the line...Thanks!

starbright: Hope you like this chapter, and thanks so much for the review! What is with you people? You always like what either makes me nervous or I find sub-par. Not that I'm complaining :p

theblondeone07: No, no, no, you didn't offend me at all! You didn't say a thing that could have possibly offended anyway. I was being sarcastic about my computer trouble in my reply, if that's what made you think that, but no, you did not offend me in any way, form, or anything else! LOL, I really appreciate your reading and your reviewing :D

Samara; Cliffhanger...hmm...like the sound of that ;) Glad you like

ghjourneybabe: I'm going, I'm going...like the little train that could, remember him? I _can_ write this, I can, I can. LOL, I'll stop being weird. Thanks for reading :D

Dawndrina: Hey! I'm slowly making my way through your long fic, and am definitely liking it so far. I'll review as soon as I catch up or maybe I'll review in spurts as I go along :p It's really good. What is with us authors always losing the stuff we like best? It is completely unfair. Oh well :p Thanks for reviewing!

Always Rosalind; Hey you! Long time, no see, nice to see you're still around though :D Totally understand about schoolwork. What's NaNo-ing though? At least one person won't know if I get something totally wrong, lol. I like the "anything goes" thing...makes it more fun. Though harder in a way. Thanks for reading!

tydavislover: Long time, no see to you, too, and it's good to see you. Thanks for stopping by! :D

ElliGHfan: I haven't seen you around the LN, but I will look harder :p I _have_ seen you around here. I was reading your story before I joined I think, but never left feedback, and haven't kept up with it...another great fanfic to catch up with :D Should be fun. I'm glad you like this story, and the way I write Brenda. She's loony sometimes, but she is a blast :p I like the idea of taking things sort of slowly...I like the idea of them being friends before sometime more :) When I get to ballet scenes, I will probably contact you. Between you and Always Rosalind, we should be able to get it right :D Thanks so much for the review!

abc: Aw, thank you [face_blush] You'll get your Journey dance...very soon ;) Not too soon, but very soon, lol

Journey4Eva: Well, not exactly the faster update, eh? LOL, really glad you liked and I'm _hoping_ *crosses fingers* things, aka my writing, will move along faster from here :p 

All right, before the author's note becomes longer than the chapter which is just wrong...I _do not_ write short chapters. It's totally not me :p

Reflection

Chapter Seven ~ It's Okay

All eyes were on Courtney, all heads tilted in her direction, all people in the room trying to figure out if they'd heard her right.

Courtney didn't notice. She was in complete shock. This wasn't supposed to happen this way. It wasn't like she'd been expecting a fairytale reunion or anything, but this was not how she'd pictured it in her head at all. She couldn't even remember what it was she had imagined. "Don't you know who I am?" she whispered.

It seemed to take Mike a minute to figure out who she was. It'd been years, after all. Then, it appeared to dawn on him that he was looking on his little ballerina. "Courtney?"

"God, it's really you," Courtney said, feeling the tears come. This was so overwhelming. A couple days ago, she hadn't even known her dad was alive. Now, here they were, standing in the same room. She didn't know what to do. "I thought you were dead," she forced out. "How could you let me think that? Didn't you care?"

Jason looked from each person in the room, but his eyes rested the longest on Courtney, trying so hard to hold everything together. He could tell she was in total shock.

"Mike..." The way Sonny said the name was low, threatening, and bubbling over with barely contained rage.

Mike quickly turned away from Courtney, saying quickly, "Look, Sonny, I can explain."

It suddenly hit Courtney, what that bald African American man had said. He's referred to Sonny as Mike's son. _Oh, God_, she thought, feeling dizzy.

"Explain? You think you can explain why it is this girl, your _daughter_, thought you were did? You think you can explain how you managed to walk out on two kids in a single lifetime?"

"I didn't want you to find out this way," Mike said quickly.

"When exactly were you planning to mention I had a sister?"

Courtney stopped listening to exactly what was being said. All she knew was that her father was making excuses, and no one was buying them. What had she been thinking? This had been one big mistake. She never could have come. Before she broke down in front of everyone, she said, "I can't do this." Then she turned around and started running as fast as she could. Carly reached out, trying to stop her, offer a little comfort, but her fingers closed on air, mere inches from Courtney's jacket.

"Someone needs to go after her," Carly said.

"Let me. You're strangers. She knows me. Maybe I can reach her in a way that you can't," Jason pleaded, feeling the need to protect Courtney from all this outside pressure.

Sonny looked at him for a moment, then nodded. Jason let out a sigh of relief and turned to go.

"You think you know my own daughter better than I do?!" Mike demanded.

"_Shut up, Mike!" _was the last thing Jason heard Sonny say before taking off. He had to get out of there before anyone could object further or try to stop him. Courtney was too important for him to get bogged down here, trying to explain over and over again the reasons why he was the one who should go after her and make sure she was okay.

~*~

Courtney collapsed on the cold cement stairs outside the police station, running her hands through her hair, choking on her sobs. It was too much to take in at once, or even in small pieces. Her mom had lied about so much more than she first thought. She had a whole _family_ she didn't know about. It wasn't just that her dad was alive. Had Janine known all this? God, what was wrong with her? Why was she so angry with her mom? There was no way for her to explain her reasons. She was _dead_. Didn't that make it wrong to be so upset with her?

She felt a hand gently touch her shoulder. She knew who it was even before he sat down next to her. She needed some kind of comfort, and for some reason, he felt safe. She turned towards him and started crying into his chest. It didn't matter who he was or what he did. All that mattered in that moment was that he was a nice guy. After a moment of hesitation, he put his arms around her, stroking her hair gently.

"Hey, it's okay. It's gonna be okay," he said soothingly.

The words only made her cry harder. It didn't feel like anything was going to be okay ever again.

~*~

****

P.S. Short, I know. Whatever you want to see happen in this fic, ideas are welcome. I love incorporating what you guys wanna see! I'm somewhat inspired now from watching _STLD_ again last night, so _hopefully_ the next chapter will be out way sooner than this one. And hopefully it will be longer than the author's note [face_laugh]


	9. Chapter 8: Just You

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Author's Note: I had no intention of updating this so soon. But I got flamed in_ both _my fics. I am seriously messed up. I get a flame, it makes me wanna write. Which is not to say nice reviews don't make me want to write, it's just flames make me want to write right away because they make me want to prove myself, or rather that I like to write so no amount of criticism can make me stop :p I am weird. Anyway...to you reviews!

starbright; Yeah, it was short, wasn't it? Certainly too short for the two-week wait, lol, but glad you like. I'm going to try to take things slow for Journey, but there will be moments :) Thanks for reading!

Always Rosalind: NaNoing sounds hard! 10,000 is pretty good, especially if it's an original work. Those are _hard_. Glad you liked that line. Your review made me realize my idiot misspelling. And I thought I'd edited the chapter [face_annoyed] Oh well...thanks for reading! Always good to hear from you :D

abc: The show stinks for the most part at the moment, but I have faith. Journey is the couple of year so I believe things will work out for them! I'm hoping the Fab4 will all be happy, or at least together, for Christmas! *crosses fingers* Thanks so much for reading!

Samara: [face_blush] Favorite? That's quite a compliment. I'm really glad you like, especially Jason going after her! Thanks so much!

light*hope: I know. I need to replace that chapter with the right word. I confused myself, reading Always review and figuring out I had misspelled, not her, lol! Amazing how long a review you left for such a minute chapter :p Not that I'm complaining! :D Love your idea, that sounds great. Courtney dancing her sorrows away...I _really_ like. You do have to see the movie, it rocks. I read GC...awesome job and thanks so much for the update! I love who you've made Kristina!

theblondeone07: Glad you liked, and was this soon? It is in my book, lol!

Journey4eva: Glad you like, not to repeat what I said above, thanks for reading!

karen: This is a Journey fic because I love Journey. But I have to thank you for not telling me my writing sucks and just saying you hate the story. I can respect that! It's an improvement over the usual flame, a nice one. Almost as nice as not getting any at all, but I accept that that's next to impossible, lol

ItalianchiKE: Oh, thank you. Aw...that was sweet of you to review, too ;) Hope you think this is sweet as well!

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Reflection

Chapter Eight ~ Just You

Courtney was aware she'd been clinging to this stranger for way too long. She hastily pulled back, wiping away her tears and laughing nervously. "I'm sorry. You must think I'm a weak and pathetic little girl." She glanced at Jason as she said it, and saw him shake his head with a soft expression in his eyes.

"You're not weak."

Courtney blinked in surprised, but couldn't help the shy smile as she quietly asked, "How would you know?"

"You lived through your dad dying, even if he didn't really. You're living through losing your mom and you're moving on with your life. You're not bitter. You haven't let it wreck you. You're not going to let this either. You'll make it through this."

His words filled Courtney with much needed warmth. The best part? He meant it. She could tell. His voice was so honest, so sincere. What was it about this Jason Morgan? A few words from him could make the world almost seem like an okay place, where everything wasn't fair but the good balanced out the bad.

She didn't know how to thank him, so she went to a safe topic...sort of. "All those people in there are waiting for me," she said, gesturing toward the police station.

"They can wait," Jason replied. All the mattered right now was her being okay. She needed to be okay herself before she could try to make things word with them.

"I just...I don't know if I can deal with this. I knew my dad was alive, but I have this whole family. And I keep asking myself, did my mom know? Did she lie to me about them, too? Why would she do this?" She search Jason's eyes, as if she thought she could find the answers to the questions that plagued her in them.

"I'm sure she had her reasons."

Courtney nodded, look at her hands. "Yeah, so am I. She had a reason for everything."

A silence that was oddly far from uncomfortable stretched between them, until Courtney broke it. "So, um, what can you tell me about my family? I mean, I know you know them. I read the papers. I watch the news. I know you work for--" she paused for a moment "--for my brother."

He didn't deny it. "What do you want to know?"

"I want to know if my dad abandoned me," Courtney replied.

"I wish I knew because you need to know, but I don't."

"It's okay. I shouldn't have asked that, anyway." She looked back up at the police station, standing up as she did so, hugging herself against the cold. "I guess I should go back inside. It's just--I don't know what to say to them."

Jason stood up, too. "If you need some time or some space or whatever, you need to tell them that."

Courtney nodded. "You're right. I just...I don't think I can do it alone."

"Would you like me to come with you?"

She turned to him, brushing her hair away from her face. "Yeah. I mean, it's not big deal if you don't..."

Seeing she was trying to cover up how much she needed a friend right now, Jason shook his head. "No, it's okay."

Relief washed over her. She knew she couldn't do this alone. Jason put a hand on her back briefly as they started up the stairs. She liked the feeling that she was being watched out for, and not only by herself.

~*~

Courtney got the feeling that while she'd been gone, a heated argument had been taking place, but as soon as she entered the room, Jason at her side, silently supporting her, there was silence. Everyone just looked at her, either trying to figure out what to say or giving her time to gather her thoughts. Maybe both. Who knows? She didn't. And how could she? She really didn't know any of these people. Did she want to? There was something she was going to need to find out.

"Look, I'm sorry I ran out," she said, figuring that was a good a way to start as any. She felt childish for running away instead of facing what she needed to deal with sooner or later.

"You don't have to apologize," Sonny said quietly. He was looking her over. He had a sister, one who he should have watched grow up and seen almost everyday, but he hadn't. Now she was already all grown up. Did that matter to her? Would she give him a chance to get to know her like he should have known her all along?

Courtney looked right back at him. She could hardly believe they were related. They looked nothing alike. She took a deep breath and let it out, looking from Sonny to Carly to Mike, but not quite meeting Mike's eyes. "The thing is, this is a lot to take in. I have this whole family I didn't know about. I think I need some time to think about it, to figure out what I want. I think I want to get to know you, but right now I'm just so confused. I need some space to sort everything out."

Sonny nodded. "I understand."

Courtney let out an inward sigh of relief. She'd been doing that a lot lately.

Carly stepped forward, offered a hand. "Welcome to Port Charles," she offered tentatively.

Courtney shook it, and in turn shook her brother's hand, and her father's. She still didn't look at Mike, even as he told her she'd sure turned out beautiful. She knew she needed to get out of there before she started crying again.

"Well, I guess I'll see you guys around then, huh?" she said a nervous laugh.

"I'll walk you home."

Courtney was surprised by Jason's suggestion...or was it a suggestion? "No, really, Jason. That's not necessary."

"I think it's a good idea," Sonny offered quietly.

Courtney wondered if he was always this quiet, when he wasn't yelling at Mike, that was. That would be weird. She'd probably talk his ear off. "You don't have to.," she told Jason, hoping it didn't show how much she wished he would. "You've done enough for me."

"I want to," Jason replied, sincerely as ever.

If he really wanted to, who was she to argue? She smiled. "Okay."

~*~

When they arrived outside Kelly's after a silent but nonetheless enjoyable walk, Courtney was wearing Jason's jacket. He'd offered it to her as soon as he noticed her shivering. She hadn't wanted to accept it, but he insisted, saying he wasn't cold. She didn't know whether or not to believe him, but she agreed to wear it. Now she held it out to him with a shy smile.

"Do you lend your jacket to every girl you meet?" she asked.

"No, just you."

Courtney felt that warmth spread through her and a smile spread across her face. She unlocked Kelly's front door, and, before she closed it, she wished him goodnight.

"Goodnight," he replied.

She watched him until he disappeared from sight, and then she went up to bed, feeling oddly light. Right now, all the problems in her life didn't seem as real as the reality of that walk home and Jason's softly spoken words.

~*~

****

P.S. Hope you like that chapter. It was one of the ones I lost, but managed to rewrite. All I really needed was the "No, just you" line, and I remembered that at least :D


	10. Chapter 9: Hey

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Author's Note: Long wait, my apologies. I've been having computer problems and playing magical computers plus my weekends will not be my own until after the first of the year. No Journey this chapter. Incredibly disappointing, I know. This chapter is short, but the next one is longer and mostly written, so I'll post it probably Monday, not too long a wait :D

Samara: Thanks for a great review :D Glad you like who I write everything. Sonny and Courtney are fun, and I _love_ writing those Journey scenes :)

starbright: Thanks!

chicpinay: Aw, it's so sweet of you to stop by and say you like this story even though you don't particularly like Journey. Jason _is _a sweetheart. A very dangerous sweetheart, but a sweetheart just the same! Thanks so much!

light*hope: Well, there just might be a first kiss soon enough ;) I could never have forgotten the "just you" line...I've had that one in my head since I first had them meet on the docks. I'll be doing stuff with Sonny/Mike/Courtney...you'll see ;) I want to make longer chapters. It makes me feel weird to do short chapters when my other story's are anywhere from 9 to 14 pages. Can't wait to see your plot twist in GC! Love Luke, always have, always will :D Thanks for reading :)

theblondeone07: Thank for reading :D Glad you like!

jasencourt4ever: Thanks so much. Your hope just may become reality ;)

Journey4eva: Jason is sweet...we've been over this but why not repeat? Sorry you had a bad day...but happy last chapter made you smile :) I have plenty in store for Journey and their family, don't worry, lol

abc: I am completely positive that Journey will be okay. I heard it from Jafreen, and she heard it from Steve Burton, so we're good :D Glad you like this twist and thanks for reading!

tydavislover; LOL, I like my stories too. Journey is always number one in my heart in them, even if sometimes it doesn't feel that way on the show these days :p I didn't exactly continue soon...but this time I will because I'm not exactly leaving you guys a decent ending/cliffhanger :p

Reflection

Chapter Nine ~ Hey

The next morning, Courtney found herself once again racing the clock to be on time for work. It was like a repeat experience of the day before, except worse. She'd slept well, just not long enough, but somehow long enough to get stuck two back in line for the shower. By the time she'd pulled on a sweater and jeans, the restaurant has already been open for five minutes. She pulled her hair into a wet ponytail and dashed downstairs.

"Sorry I'm late. Long line for the shower," she apologized to Elizabeth.

"Get up earlier," Elizabeth hissed, turning to walk into the kitchen.

Courtney raised her eyebrows at this. So much for being nice. But Bobbie just smiled at her as she shrugged into her coat and wrapped a scarf around her neck. "Don't worry about it, honey. Now, I have to get to General Hospital. If you need any help, ask Elizabeth."

Like that would happen. "Okay. See you later." She waved as Bobbie left and then picked up the coffeepot to fill the early riser's mugs.

And thus the morning shift began, just as busy if not more so than yesterday's. Elizabeth and Courtney hardly exchanged a word, attending to their respective tables and smiling at their respective customers.

Courtney was tucking money into the cash register after wishing a harried woman with two young children a pleasant day when a voice came across the counter to her.

"Good morning!"

Courtney looked up to see Emily perched on a stool. "Hey, Emily! How are things?"

Emily peeled her hat and gloves off, flashing an infectious smile. "Things are good."

"Would you like some coffee?"

"I could _never_ turn down a cup of coffee," Emily said. Courtney laughed, as she grabbed a mug went to pour it. Emily thanked her and breathed in the refreshing aroma deeply. "Mmm...this smells good, but that's not why I'm here. I came to apologize for last night. It was supposed to be fun, and you ended up being dragged down to the police station."

Courtney shrugged it off. "It's okay, really. Besides, it wasn't as if I was dragged. I asked Sonny and Carly to let me go with them."

"No, it's not okay, but just so you know, the police in this town are always arresting my brother."

Courtney pushed a lose strand of hair off her face. "Whoa, hold on a second. Jason's your brother?"

"Oh, yeah. Not by blood, since I'm adopted, but in every way that counts."

"Well, I'm glad. You're lucky to have a brother like him."

"Yeah, I know," Emily said, practically beaming. "He's the best guy I know. That kind of clashes with what I said about him being arrested all the time, doesn't it?"

Courtney waved a hand. "No, it's okay. I know it's because of who he works for and all that."

"Well, you seem to understand that what Jason does or doesn't do isn't who he is, but I hope you won't judge him."

Courtney laughed to herself at the irony in that one. "I wouldn't dream of it. I mean, it'd be kind of hypocritical, seeing as though his boss is my brother."

Emily's eyebrows shot straight up. "Excuse me? Did I hear that right? You and Sonny are _related?_"

"Yeah, not much of a resemblance, is there? We just found out last night. I came to town looking for my dad, and I found him, and I found this whole family I knew nothing about." In an attempt to cover up her sadness, she reached for the sugar container and grabbed the bag to refill it.

"Wow. That must have been a...a shock," Emily said, searching for a word and coming up with the biggest understatement in the world.

"For both of us. But I always wanted a family. And now I have one. I really hope that we can work things out." The grains of sugar fell into the glass jar as if it was sand going through an hourglass. How much time did she have to fix things? Or was it already too late?

The bells on the door rang, and Emily looked behind her. "Hmm, well, it looks like you have a chance to get started on that."

Courtney raised her eyebrows, about to ask what Emily meant when she saw someone over her shoulder. She swallowed. She was going to have to deal with this sooner or later, and it was never good to put things off. "Excuse me," she whispered, putting the sugar bag down and walking around the counter.

"Sure," Emily said, taking a sip of her coffee as Elizabeth emerged from the kitchen.

Elizabeth grabbed the sugar bag and put it under the coffee. "What, are you and Courtney glued to each other all of a sudden?" she asked. Emily heard the disdain under Elizabeth's attempt at sounding casual.

"It seems like she really needs a friend right now," Emily replied honestly. "And if I can help, I will."

Elizabeth cocked an eyebrow. "Jason seems to be giving her more help than she needs."

"You really don't like Courtney, do you." It wasn't a question. Elizabeth walked back into the kitchen without offering a response.

Courtney took a deep breath, standing before the table her brother had seated himself at. What was she supposed to say? She settled for the all-purpose greeting. "Hey."

"Hey."

****

P.S. Short, I know. But, like I think I said, next 2 are longer, and they're both mostly written. Who knows? Maybe the mistletoe will get to my head even though it's just after Halloween in this story? How lame is that, it's like begging you guys to stay tuned, lol! But thanks for the marvelous feedback, and I _swear_ the next chapter will be up Monday if not sooner. Let's hope I haven't put my foot in my mouth.


	11. Chapter 10: Conversations

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Author's Note: I am _so_ sorry this took so long. I had every intention of posting this chapter the Monday I said I would, but wouldn't you know on Sunday night the pop-up ads got to the computer, completely frying its system and everything I had written in here (I am so sick of losing this story, lol, this was the second time and better be the last). We reformatted the computer, and that wiped out everything. It's finally functioning again, and has been for a week or so, but I just couldn't get inspired to rewrite anything in this fic. Now I'm on what I hope is a role. Writing's coming to me easily, anyway, and that's an improvement.

Samara: LOL, you must be dead by now, dying to read the next chapter Monday and then getting it three weeks later. Hopefully that's the last time that happens...but thanks for reading!

starbright: Yeppers, the next couple chapters are gonna be much longer though not to the point of bordering on epic :p Glad you like the Liz/Courtney. Writing Liz like a bitch irritates me because it makes me relive that time on the show, but it must be done to keep things true to how they were back then. Anyway, thanks for reviewing!

light*hope: Look, I've taken almost as long as you to update! Hahaha! Maybe I should see if you _have_ updated before I say that so fast...oh well, I don't mind making an idiot out of myself. I've done it so much already I'm immune to embarrassment, lol. Anyway, yes, Elizabeth is very bitter at the moment, be _very_ thankful you weren't watching when she was in this stage, you would have wanted to jump through the TV set and strangle her. But she's finally gotten over it, and I am so happy about that. So funny you mentioned the sugar and the hourglass. I mentioned that to my best friend, saying I thought it was beyond lame. But you liked, so I guess it wasn't _that_ lame! Thanks for reading!

ghjourneybabe: Thanks!

tydavislover: Every girl needs some girlfriends! Okay, maybe not, but it sure is a lot of fun. Who else would give for Christmas a plastic Aragorn doll from _Lord of the Rings_ for you to lust after? That's right, no one :p Thanks!

Ana: Thanks so much for your compliments on my relationship displaying, and thanks so much for reading too!

abc: LOL, yep, I get my Journey fix from my own writing now, too. That is so bad. But I have faith that Journey will survive! I was gonna have Jason/Courtney sparks fly this chapter, but I'm putting it off one for the sake of semi-cliffhanger ending...and updating sooner, need a transcript search for next chapter and really not in mood for it. Anyway, thanks for reading!

theblondeone07: Does this count as very soon? LOL, no way! It feels a whole year ended since I updated...wait, it did. Thanks for reading and putting up with my lame attempts at humor :p

Dawndrina: Thanks for checking in with me :D Glad you were happy then...no doubt none of you are incredibly thrilled with the wait, lol. Anyway, thanks a lot and here it is! Chapter 10.

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Disclaimer: Some dialogue in this chapter is directly excepted from _General Hospital_ transcripts provided by the TV Megasite. It belongs to _General Hospital_, ABC, and whoever was writing for the show before Guza and Pratt. Unfortunately (wait, it is fortunate) freeze-dried Stavros is a distant memory.

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Chapter Ten

Conversations

Jason had no idea why he'd let Carly drag him along to the park, but somehow he'd ended up here, and she was talking his ear off—as usual—while Michael swung on the swings. It started off having something to do with Brenda, but somewhere along the line she may have changed topics. He didn't know. He'd stopped listening about ten minutes into her rant. He just started thinking, and his thoughts went straight where they almost always seemed to these days.

To Courtney.

Something about her drew him to her. It had nothing to do with how she looked, even though she was beautiful. It had to do with how she was strong but shy, and the way she laughed, the way her eyes sparkled in spite of everything she'd been through and was still living through. He kept thinking about the little things, like her smile and how it lit up a room, and how good it felt to comfort her, hold her in his arms last night. He couldn't figure out what it was he felt for her, but it got him thinking about doing things he'd never normally do. Like stopping by Kelly's for a cup of coffee just to see her.

Carly had noticed Jason wasn't really listening but kept talking anyway. Why not? She had to vent to someone, and if that someone happened to not be listening, then he couldn't tell her not to do anything crazy and to just let it go.

She was _not_ just letting Brenda go.

"Did you see that, Mommy?" Michael came racing over.

Her little boy had just landed a high jump, something Sonny definitely wouldn't have approved of. Oh well. What Sonny didn't know couldn'y hurt him. Or Carly's ears, when he started to tell her it wasn't safe and she shouldn't let Michael do that. "You bet I did, Mr. Man! Uncle Jason and I are so proud of you, aren't we, Uncle Jason?"

Uncle Jason didn't answer.

Carly scowled. It was one thing for Jason not to listen to her, but to _Michael_… "Jason! Are you listening? Hel-_lo_."

Carly's hand waving barely a millimeter from his nose caught his attention and jerked him abruptly from his planning. He had a vague enough idea of what was going on around him to bend down and give Michael a high-five. "Great job, buddy!"

"I'm gonna try to do it again!"

"Oh, yeah? Then go for it! Just don't get hurt because Daddy wouldn't be very happy!" Carly laughed as Michael raced off. "I don't know where he gets the energy."

Jason did. Carly, the schemer whose enthusiasm had no bounds when she was plotting something crazy that was bound to blow up in her face. Jason wisely didn't tell her as much.

"So, where you been?"

"What--what do you mean?"

"You know what I mean. You can't fool me Jason. I saw you, staring at nothing with this huge smile on your face."

Jason frowned. "I wasn't--I wasn't smiling." Was he?

Carly thought back on the little, tiny, barely noticeable turning up of the lips and decided that that small a smile couldn't really be called a smile. "Okay, maybe you weren't. But that's not the point. The point is you weren't listening to me. You better have a good reason for not listening to me!"

Jason sighed ran a hand over his face. "Carly..."

Carly's whole face suddenly lit up, her eyes brightening a hundred watts, and Jason knew he was in trouble. "You met someone, didn't you?"

He stared at her blankly.

"Who is she? Come on, tell me who it is!"

"Carly," he tried. He knew repeating her name would get nowhere. It never did. But he couldn't help hoping that just this once she'd take the hint and shut up.

"Who is it? It better not be that whiny goody-goody Elizabeth Webber." Carly said that name with almost as much disgust as she reserved for Brenda's.

"It's not Elizabeth," Jason said firmly, wanting that chapter of his life to be closed, if for no other reason than to never hear how much Carly didn't like Elizabeth again.

He hadn't thought Carly could light up anymore. But she did, the grin growing so wide he thought her face might crack open. "So there _is_ someone."

Damn. Leave it to Carly to find a way to make you admit something when you weren't really admitting something.

"Who is it? Come on, tell me!" Carly pulled on his arm insistantly. He let her. Suddenly a new kind of light dawned across Carly's face. It was the light of revalation. "It's Courtney, isn't it?"

It almost scared him how fast she'd been able to figure it out. "Where'd you get that idea?"

"Come on, Jase. I was there. I saw the way she defended you and I heard the way you talked to her."

Jason massaged his temples. "Can't you just let this go?"

"This is perfect! She's Sonny sister, and your Sonny's best friend, and you're the only guy he'd allow touch her with a ten-foot pole..."

"Carly!" Jason was practically screaming at this point. "Let it go!"

Carly looked away, wrapping her arms around herself and giving him a high-pitched, "Okay." Her face turned from him, a huge grin spread across her face. The wheels were already turning.

Jason knew this wasn't the end. Carly would never let something like this go so easy. When she did, it meant she had a plan. Whenever she had a plan, he needed to be afraid. Very afraid. And he was.

~*~

The uncomfortable silence stretched way longer than it should have. For a minute they just looked at each other. It was weird. This was a person Courtney should have known from the moment she was born, and Sonny should have watched her grow up. And until last night they hadn't known each other existed. There was a lot of lost time to make up for, and Sonny knew it. He'd missed out on twenty years of her life and had no idea what she'd lived through. And he could tell it was more than some people, because of that look in her eye last night. She'd looked so lost, betrayed, and hurt. But it couldn't all have been bad. When he'd walked in now, he'd seen her with Emily, and she actually looking

Question was, would she give him a chance to do just that? Courtney picked at the bottom of her apron, laughing nervously. "This is kind of awkward."

Sonny smiled at her. "Yeah, a little. So, uh, you work here?" He asked a questiong he already knew the answer to. Jason had told him where she was staying and where she was working last night. He'd been desperate to learn something about her, anything about her, and seeing as though she wasn't willing or ready to talk, he'd gone to another source.

Safe subject. _Okay, Courtney, take a deep breath. He's sticking to safe subjects. You can handle safe subjects. _"Yeah, Bobbie gave me a job," she said, trying to sound smooth and collected.

"Yeah, Jason told me. That was nice of her."

Courtney raised her eyebrows. Jason had told him? When exactly was that?

As her mind raced, Emily passed by. "Hi, Sonny," she said, flashing a smile.

"Hey, Emily. Good to see you."

"You, too." The thought crossed Courtney's mind that it was good to see not everyone looked at her brother like they did at Jason. Emily turned to Courtney. "I have to head out, but _call me_ later, okay?" She pressed a piece of paper into Courtney's hand.

Courtney looked down and saw a number scribbled across the note. "Okay, I will. Bye, Em."

Emily waved as she left.

It suddenly occurred to Courtney that since Bobbie had hired her, she was a waitress, and she should be doing her job. "Can I get you anything?" she asked hastily.

"No," he said quickly, and took a little longer to get the point. He was scared of scaring her off. He had a tendency of doing that to people. "I'm actually here to see you." There he'd said it.

Courtney couldn't mask her surprise. Hadn't he heard a word she'd said last night? About needing time and space to sort through this on her own? Or didn't he care? "Why? You don't even know me."

"One reason. You're family now. And the thing is, you're my sister, and I don't know a thing about you, and I'd like to change that." He looked at her, examining her reaction as he want on. "But I know what you said last night, about needing some time and I understand that, so if you're not ready, you just have to say so."

Courtney took a deep breath and thought about it. What was the harm? He wanted to know more about her, she wanted to know more about him, and thier dad wasn't here so she wouldn't have to deal with this big jumble of emotions inside of her. "No, no. It's okay. This is good. I think I could spare a few minutes with the big brother I never knew about." And always wanted.

The moment was ruined by a disgruntled customer's shouts. "Hey! What I gotta do to get some service around here, huh? Or do you just stand around yackin' all day?"

Courtney rolled her eyes toward the man. "That is, after the morning rush is over. If you're busy or whatever, you could just come back later..."

Sonny was shaking his head before she even finished the sentence. "I'll wait."

"Okay. See you in a minute..." A large group came through the doors, and Courtney was forced to correct herself. "Or ten."

~*~

It turned out to be twenty before Courtney got everyone settled down with their breakfasts. Slowly the restaurant emptied out, and finally Courtney found a moment to drop into the chair across from her brother. She'd never been happier to go on break.

"God, I am so glad to sit down," she said, reaching under the table a rubbing one of her sore ankles.

"It gets busy here," Sonny said, stating the obvious for lack of being able to come up with any other topic.

"Yeah, it does," Courtney agreed swiftly, trying to move it along to ask something she'd been wondering and worrying about the whole time she ran around. "Um, anyway...last night--"

Sonny cut her off. "We don't have to talk about last night if you don't want to."

"Things don't get any easier when you put them off, and I have a feeling this would only get worse if I did. Besides, I was just wondering...how much Jason told you."

"Not much."

She waited for him to elaborate, but he didn't. Obviously Sonny wasn't much of a talker. "That's not very helpful," she offered, hoping it's prod him to say more.

It worked. "He told me where you were staying and where you were working, and you've only been in town a couple days, and that you were looking for Mike."

"You don't like him much, do you?" She said it carefully, but Sonny still bristled.

"How are you settling in here? You like the place? People nice to you?"

She knew a topic change when she saw one. "Sonny, come on." It felt weird saying his name like that, and calling him on such an obvious switch.

"I have no use for Mike after what he did to you, but I had no use for him anyway, so it doesn't really matter."

She could tell that was the end of that conversation. Not that she wanted it to continue after that forceful a statement, anyway. Was her dad really that bad a person and she'd just been blind as a little girl looking for her daddy in the audience? "That's all Jason told you?"

"Yeah, that's just about it. I mean, other than that anything I wanted to know I should ask you."

"So what do you want to know?" She posed the question a bit hesitatingly, not sure what she wanted to tell.

Everything would be nice, but that was an awful lot to ask for. "Tell me about yourself."

Courtney laughed, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. "There's really not much to tell."

Maybe she needed somewhere to start. "How about school? Are you in college?"

Memories flooded her. Memories of the day her dream had been shattered, along with her life as she knew it. Memories of the day her mom had died.

****

***flashback***

__

Courtney stepped back, preparing for the leap...

And she fell. The music kept playing but she knew it was all over. She had failed; she was never getting into Julliard now.

She had no idea it was only beginning.

***end flashback***

The pain that suddenly overwhelmed her made her cut her sentence short. "Nope."

"You ever thought of applying?"

"I did."

"What happened?"

"I didn't get in."

"Why not?"

"Look, I really don't want to talk about school right now." She wasn't up for a Q&A on this just yet. She probably never would be.

Sonny immediately backed off. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to, you know."

She was quick to correct him. He couldn't blame himself for being curious. "No, don't be sorry. You had no way of knowing, you know?" She took a deep breath. A change of pace, even if it was a slight one, would probably do them a lot of good right now. "So...what about you?"

"What about me?"

She grinned as she quoted him. "Tell me about yourself."

Sonny gave her a nervous kind of smile. "I thought we were talking about you."

"Yeah, but I know about me. I want to know about you."

He sat back and looked at her. "What could you _possibly _want to know about me?"

Everything and she had no clue where to start. "I don't know. Did _you_ ever go to college?"

The was obviously not the opening question Sonny was expecting. "Uh, no." He didn't answer it the same way she had. The answer was short, but not abrupt and unwelcoming.

"Why not?"

"I dropped out of high school."

"Oh." She wondered why, but she had the feeling school wasn't going to be a good topic for them. "Okay. Then what do you do for fun?"

He looked at her as if she had just said the world was flat. "Fun?"

She could have burst out laughing. "You know, like a hobby or something."

"A hobby."

Come on, it couldn't be _that_ foreign an idea! "Do you collect baseball cards?"

He looked completely lost. "No…"

Courtney laughed. Obviously her train of thought had eluded him and left him wondering why in the world she'd ask such a bizarrely random question. "It was just an example."

"Oh."

"Come on, you must have some kind of hobby, _something_ you do in your spare time."

Sonny thought about it. What'd he do? He ran a coffee warehouse and a more or less illegal business, and spent the rest of his time with Carly and Michael. What else was there? "I don't really have a lot of spare time."

"Right, you're too busy pretending to be dead."

A beat pasted before Sonny acknowledged the speaker. "Elizabeth." Oh, boy. Courtney knew this was going to be trouble before Elizabeth even began speaking again.

"Are you happy with the turnout at your funeral? Is that why you pretended to be dead? To see how many people would mourn for you? What was it, some kind of practical joke?"

Courtney blew out a silent breath, wanting to interrupt but not sure how to go about it. Sonny was looking anywhere but at Elizabeth, and she knew enough about people to tell this was making him really uncomfortable. Was it just because Courtney was there? Or was it the accusation in itself? For some reason, Courtney didn't see Sonny as the practical joke type. Whatever reason he had for playing dead, it was good and it was serious.

Elizabeth plowed on. "You know what the funny thing is? I believed _every_ word that Jason and Carly said. I actually _worried_ about Jason's safety. He wasn't even in _danger_."

"Uh, actually he was," Sonny said, but obviously not loud enough, because Elizabeth kept on talking over him. But Courtney heard him, and she believed it.

"And Carly?" Elizabeth let out a bitter laugh. "She is a _very_ convincing liar. I actually thought she was _grieving_ for you. I mean, sure, I was _wondering_ why she wasn't more upset, but I assumed she was in shock, after all, she just loves you _so_ much. I fell for it. Aren't you proud?"

Sonny looked like he wanted to disappear into the cracks in the floor, just become invisible. Courtney leapt up. "Okay, you know what, Elizabeth? You can say whatever you want about me, but leave my brother and his family--_my_ family--alone."

Elizabeth eyes widened in disbelief. "Your _brother_?" she spat incredulously.

"That's right. Sonny's my brother." Courtney spoke the words as if it were the thing she was most proud of in the world. Maybe she wasn't sure where this sibling thing was going to go, but she was sure she wasn't going to let Elizabeth walk all over Sonny like she did Jason. Because she knew Elizabeth was wrong about Jason. She was probably wrong about Sonny, too.

"Well, isn't that sweet." Elizabeth's smile was anything but. "I'm going to give you a bit of advice, okay? All Sonny cares about is _himself_."

"Yeah, I kind of figured that out when he let me come down to the police station to try to help Jason before he even knew who I was," Courtney fired back sarcastically.

"Oh, but don't you know? That was all about Sonny, too. You see, Jason is Sonny's right arm. Sonny needs Jason to keep his hands clean, and the best part? Jason will do _anything_ for him. He'll kill people, lie to people, maim people. And neither of them care who gets hurt along the way!"

"You know what, Elizabeth? It's too bad that you got hurt. But that does not give you the right to take it out on me, or badmouth Jason or Sonny. Why don't you go find something better to do?"

Elizabeth backward glance was murderous as she retreated behind the counter.

"You know what? I appreciate everything you just said, but it's not necessary to defend me."

Courtney dropped back into her chair. "It didn't look like you were going to defend yourself."

"Elizabeth's hurt, and that's partly because of me."

"That does not excuse her behavior towards you, towards Jason, and towards me. What is with this whole faked death thing, anyway?"

"It's a long story," Sonny offered lamely, hoping she would recognize the no trespassing sign.

"I read about it."

"Don't believe everything you read."

Courtney thought about the article, and thought about Jason. "I don't. I like making up my own mind about people."

The bells on the doors of Kelly's rang, and Courtney looked up. Instantly, she felt as if she had been hit in the stomach. Her dad had just walked through the door. He was looking right at her.

Sonny turned around, seeing the deer-in-the-headlights look on her face, and saw him, too.

All hell was about to break lose.

~*~

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P.S. All right, once again, I'm open to suggestions about what you want to see. The plot is more stable now, but still, I work in any new ideas I really like. No pressure though. A simple review works fine, as does a simple non-review, because I have faith in my lurkers. That they're there, that is. LOL. Anyway. I've made enough of a rambling idiot out of myself for one chapter. Thanks for reading. By the way, I think Milky Way bars unclog writer's block...they should do a study on that ;)


	12. Chapter 11: Sometimes Sorry Isn't Enough

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Author's Note: All right. This story's plot is becoming more and more stable (thank you, parrot, thank you! You can almost be considered a co-writer, the amount of ideas I get from you...THANK YOU!). It's moving a little slow, but action is going to happen soon enough. Just a few things that need to be taken care of first. Okay, more than a few. But action/angst soon! I left yet another sentence hanging last chapter. I HATE IT when I do that. I usually read things over thoroughly, but last chapter I just kind of blew off the editing. And whenever I do that, I making spelling/grammar mistakes. But at least I didn't leave an entire scene hanging. I've done that before, too. *shudders*

  
light*hope: Well I suppose that's better than another horendous chapter...j/k! Finally got back to you on GC...oy, my reviewing consistancy, well, it's non-existant. Glad you liked the "energy" comment, I like it myself. I think you shall be seeing all your suggestions come to life ;) Pop ups are no longer a problem, thank goodness. We got ad-blocking software. Which of course blocks my favorite, most reliable spoiler page, but you have take the good with the bad, lol. Spoilers aren't good for me anyway *tries to convince herself* Thanks for reading! Update GC super-soon if you haven't already. I must again make sure I haven't overlooked an update :p

starbright: I liked Carly thinking it was Elizabeth, too. And I can just see her repulsion at the thought. Thanks for reading like always! Always good to hear from you :D

Samara: Cliffhanger? Me? [face_innocent] It's so much fun to write dialogue. It's my favorite part and I'm glad I can make people laugh. It proves that I'm not the only one who laughs at my stuff :p Thanks for reading!

Lanz: Thanks so much for taking the time to review! I'm so glad you like and I hope you will continue to :)

theblondeone07: New chapter, coming on up just for you! Well, maybe not just for you, but you can enjoy it, hopefully, anyway, lol. Thanks for reading :D

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Disclaimer: (yes another one) A majority of the dialogue in this chapter is directly excepted from _General Hospital_ transcripts provided by the TV Megasite. It belongs to _General Hospital_, ABC, and whoever was writing for the show before Guza and Pratt. Unfortunately (wait, it is fortunate) Angel Ellis is a distant memory.

Chapter Eleven

Sometimes Sorry Isn't Enough

Time seemed to stop. Courtney felt like she had when she'd first seen him in the police station only last night. She could hardly breathe, it hurt so much, brought back so many memories, some good, some bad, but all painful. She didn't want to talk to him. She wasn't ready for it.

Mike spoke first taking a step closer. "Courtney." He said her name tentatively, as if asking for permission.

She took a deep, silent breath. She couldn't show what she felt. She had to act like it didn't bother her. She didn't want anyone to see how vulnerable she was. Especially not someone who didn't even know her, who probably still saw her as the innocent, ignorant twelve-year-old she used to be. She rose slowly. "Daddy. What are you doing here?"

"I was looking for you. I was going to ask around to see if anyone had seen you or met you, but I guess now I don't have to. There's so much I need to say."

Sonny scoffed. "Save it."

Mike ignored him, keeping his focus on Courtney. "You don't have to say anything. But I'd appreciate it if you listened." He was practically begging.

Courtney couldn't refuse. She crossed her arms over her chest, as much to appear tough and indifferent as to provide a shield for her heart. "Suppose it couldn't hurt."

Sonny leaned forward. "Mike's not going to say one thing to you that he hasn't already said to me, so let me give you the condensed version. He didn't mean to, it wasn't his fault, and he always loved you. Is that enough? Feel better now?"

No, she didn't. It made her feel horrible, because it was the truth, wasn't it? Mike hadn't cared. He hadn't cared enough to let her know he was alive. He hadn't cared enough to show up for her mother's funeral. He hadn't cared enough to be there for the last eight years of her life. But she wanted to hear him admit it. She wanted him to know what it had cost her...what it continued to cost her. She wanted him to know what she held him accountable for, what he was responsible for.

"Maybe I want to hear it from my father," she said smoothly.

Sonny held up his hands in defeat and sat back. Courtney had a feeling he was only going to shut up for so long. It'd only been a few minutes ago he'd told her that he had no use for Mike after what he'd done to her, and she doubted he'd changed his mind in that short a period. It was a horrible thing to say about your own father, but she couldn't help feeling a bit grateful. If this conversation plunged downhill, there was someone in the room on her side and her side only, whatever his reasons were.

Courtney sat down, and after a hesitant moment, Mike pulled out a chair himself. When it was clear Sonny wasn't going to try to stop him, at least not right away, Mike began his speach. "I'm sorry."

"You're sorry," Courtney echoed incredulously, hardly able to believe her ears.

"I am so sorry for not being the father I should have been, for letting you and your mother down," he exemplified.

It did nothing for Courtney. Suddenly, she was the child who was scoffing, but under her tough reaction disappointment creeped into her. "That's the best you can do?"

Mike sighed. "I know nothing I say is going to change what happened--"

Her temper flared. "Eight years you've let me think you were dead, and all you have to say is _'I'm sorry'?!_"

Mike hung his head. "I thought you'd be better off without me."

Suddenly Courtney was on her feet again, gesturing angrily, emotionally. "So, what? You and Mom made an agreement? Tell me you were dead? Then we'd move some place where you'd never find me? Or did you know where I was and just never bothered to come see me?"

Mike turned toward her standing form, confusion written across his face. "Janine and I didn't have any agreement. When I came home and you were gone, it was like a knife in my heart."

That bit of information was like a knife in Courtney's own heart. This part wasn't his fault. She couldn't place the blame on both parents, shift it from one to the other, keeping it far away from the one who wasn't hear to explain or defend herself. No, it was that parent's fault. Her mother had lied. She had lied for years. _How could you do that to me, Mom? _"What did you do about it?"

"Nothing."

"So your family wasn't worth the effort to search for us?"

"I was confused and hurting, and the next thing I knew, I was back at the tables on a week-long binge. What can I tell you? The man that let his daughter go was a bum."

Sonny had been seething from the moment Mike had stepped into the room, but throughout the conversation that anger had grown. He refused to look at Mike. He focused only on his sister. "You know what, Courtney? Don't do this to yourself because he'll keep making excuses as long as you're willing to listen. That doesn't change anything. He is addicted to gambling, so whenever he's in the big game, everything else goes out the window...and that includes whichever child he promises to love that week!"

Courtney barely heard him, upset as she was. Couldn't Mike see? Didn't he have any idea how hurt she was? What gave him the idea that he could just say "I'm sorry" and make everything disappear?

"You know, I did horribly in ballet that day," she began calmly, the emotion just barely under the surface. "I kept looking at the other parents and wondering where you were. I remember walking in the house, and there were boxes everywhere. The pictures I made and the flowers the lady down the street would give me were all gone. Mom was in the kitchen and she should have been getting ready for work. I knew something was wrong. I knew something had happened to you, and she looked me right in the eye and she told me that you were gone. And I didn't believe her." She felt the tears coming. She tried to stop them by taking deep breaths even as she spoke. "I kept crying and screaming, 'You're lying! Daddy's not dead! He's going to be here! He's going to come through that door any second now and say he's sorry he didn't make it to my ballet class!' But we left and you never came and I cried myself to sleep every night after that. I was sure Mom was telling the truth because my daddy called me 'sunshine' and he took me to the park and to the movies and he laughed with me and he read me books and bought me my favorite stuffed bear and came to my ballet class every weekend. My daddy would never leave me _because he loved me!_" Courtney's voice had been gaining momentum and she practically yelled the last part. She pointed to her chest. "I knew that in my heart." She laughed, sniffing as she did so. "But I was wrong."

"Dear God, I am so sorry." And Mike really did look sorry. She almost had him in tears. But she didn't care. Niether did Sonny.

"Get out." Courtney had never heard so much barely contained fury forced into two softly spoken words.

"Don't do this, Michael. Let me talk to her. Let me explain."

Who did her father think he was? What was he doing, asking her_ brother _permission to explain? Didn't he have the guts to come out and ask her for the chance _himself?_

"Get out, Mike!"

Mike turned his eyes to his daughter. "Please, Courtney."

She backed away. "You know what? Get away from me. Stay away from me. Just leave me alone!" As she shouted the last part, she backed into the doors. And then she pushed through them and started running, everyone in the restaurant staring after her, including Elizabeth, who stood behind the counter with an arched eyebrow .

Courtney was gone. There was nothing standing between Sonny and tearing into Mike. "You know what you are, Mike? Huh?"

"What, Michael?" Mike demanded in a defiant sort of tone.

__

"Do you know what you are?"

"Go ahead, tell me, Michael. What am I?"

"You're a hypocrite! You're mad at me because I let you think I was dead for a couple weeks. You have been dead to your own daughter _for eight years!_"

"That's not how it—"

Sonny's hand sliced through the air. "I don't want to hear it!" He stood up. "I am done with your excuses."

Mike got up with him and once again tried to explain himself. "Look, I don't blame you for how you feel about me, Michael. But this isn't the way to punish me. Yeah, I walked out on you both and that was wrong. I know that. But it's not right for you to try to keep me away from Courtney now. You may be her brother, but I am still her father."

Sonny shook his head. "It's too late, Mike."

"No, it's not."

"Yeah, it's too late. You know what I'm saying? You've been--ever since you got to Port Charles, I've cleaned up your mess. And I'm going to clean this one up, too. But after that, you and I are finished." With those words hanging in the air, Sonny turned and left.

~*~

Carly and Michael had finally taken their leave. She had Club 101 to run, and Michael had a play date. The only reason he wasn't gone yet was the phone call that had come in just as they were leaving. He was still clearing up the details when he spotted Courtney running down the steps into the park. She stopped to catch her breath, which wasn't coming easily because she was crying. She wrapped her arms around herself. She wasn't wearing a coat. She was going to kill herself if she kept this up.

"There's something I need to take care of. Call me when it's done, all right Benny?" Jason said abruptly, cutting Benny off in the middle of a sentence about the Puerto Rican numbers.

After the lengthy conversation, Benny seemed a little surprised over the abrupt ending. _"I'll do that," _he said, though Jason barely caught it as he lowered the phone so fast.

"Courtney!" he called to her.

She whirled around as he approached. "My brother put you up to this, didn't he?" she demanded.

~*~

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P.S. We're pretending Jax didn't give Club 101 to Skye and Sonny bought it off of Jax...k? ;) Being in 2002 can be awfully annoying at times.


	13. Chapter 12: The Park

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Author's Note: First allow me to scream at the top of my lungs, WE WON!!! I gave the credit to CrazieShawtie but the real reason this is updated is the Patriots victory and the joy it fills me with. If there are any Carolina fans in the audience, I sympathize. I felt the same as you when the Red Sox gave the game away this year, so I shall refrain from gloating...at least in this fic :p

starbright: Journey interaction coming right up! I miss Sonny and Mike, too....they always had some of the best scenes.

jane: I'm sad.

francis: I'll refer you to my comment to liz.

liz: Do you read Sister of the Moon's stuff? She writes really awesome Liason fics, and there's not many a Liason author who can hook a Journey fan. I think you'd really like her fics, if you haven't already given them a try. As for me, I don't feel Liason, and I don't write what I don't feel. Don't expect any Liason stories from me, I won't be switching fanbases.

theblondeone07: Yay, you liked Sonny sticking up for her! She deserves it.

light*hope: I can't really take credit for the last chaptering being "powerful." The "hypocrite" line came from _parrot_ of JourneyIntoTheLoveNest when she reviewed the first two chapters. That one review has triggered basically the whole plot. The girl is practically a co-writer. I think you get the Courtney dance in 2 or 3 chapters...don't worry, I intend to write them quickly, lol. And Courtney's "performance" mostly came from transcripts. I think I got review 101. I'm so sad I hit the make. But everyone loved the one hundred and first dalmation, right? *begging puppy dog look* Anyway, thanks so much for reading! I'm thrilled someone as good as you takes the time to read my story :)

Samara: Thank you so much! I'm really glad you liked the ending, I rather liked that part myself.

Ah, one of my wondrous chapter titles. *very American eye-roll...remeber that? Just checking to make sure you're reading, J, lol, j/k* I probably shouldn't have started giving chapters titles in the first place. I am so not cut out for the job :p

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Chapter Twelve

The Park

Jason was confused. What was Courtney talking about? And what was wrong with him? Why did that accusation send a shock of something that wasn't quite pain right through him? He didn't care what people thought. So why did he care that she was angry at him for something? "Put me up to what?"

"He told you to follow me, didn't he? I don't need a babysitter!" Courtney turned her back on him, sniffing and trying to regain some composure. How dare Sonny do this? Use Jason to get to her? He didn't even _know_ her.

Jason spread his hands, staring at her back and wishing she would turn back to him. "Sonny didn't put me up to anything. I was here with Carly and Michael. They just left."

Courtney stood there for a long moment, waging his sincerity. He was telling the truth, she just knew it. The next thing she knew, she was collapsing onto the closest bench and running both her hands through her hair. "God, Jason, I'm sorry. There's just so much is going on, you know?"

He hesitated for a moment, and then moved to sit next to her. He was relieved when she didn't slide away from him. He put a cautious hand on her back. "What happened?"

"Sonny came to see me, and we talked, it was going good, and then my dad showed up. Why'd he have to do this? Why does he care? I mean, he couldn't be bothered with me for eight years, and now suddenly he cares? Does he expect me to buy that?"

The strangest thing happened. Jason felt his heart go out to her. He knew she wasn't looking for answers, at least not from him. She wanted them from her father and from herself, and she wasn't getting them. He certainly couldn't give them to her. But he could give her something else: comfort, if only a little bit. "Come here." Courtney willing slip closer to him and accepted his embrace as he wrapped his leather jacket around her shoulders. This was becoming a routine for them, and neither minded.

He didn't know how long he held her. Time seemed to stop, freezing them in this imperfect yet perfect moment. But it couldn't last forever. Nothing ever did. Courtney eventually drew away, drying her tears and laughing at herself. "You must be getting sick of me crying all over you."

Jason shook his head. That statement couldn't be further from the truth. He liked being the one she turned to. "No, I'm not."

Courtney gaze was captured by the intensity of his. He meant it. He really meant it. She didn't know what to say. The words "thank you" couldn't find a way into her mind and then to her mouth. Finally, she tore her eyes away, wondering what was wrong with her. She hardly knew Jason, and yeah, she liked him. Seriously, he was hot. But he couldn't possibly like her. He was just being nice. He probably saw her as his best friend's little sister and nothing else.

Hoping to push the swirl of confusing thoughts from her mind and break the unnerving silence, Courtney spoke up. "So, my dad left Sonny too, huh?"

Jason nodded, looked down at his clasped hands. "Yeah."

"How old was he?"

"Six."

Courtney's eyebrows shot up in surprise. So young? "Wow. I guess I was lucky. I mean, I got twice as much time with him. Is that why Sonny hates him?"

"Sonny doesn't hate Mike. They just do things to make each other mad and stay mad a long time," Jason attempted to explain. He shrugged. "It's complicated."

Looking up through her lashes, Courtney offered a small smile. "Uncomplicate it for me."

Jason sighed. "You know, I'd like to, but it's not my place. You're going to have to ask Sonny about it. He probably won't give you an answer right away. You're going to have to give him some time. This is as big of a shock to him as it was to you. But I know Sonny, and I know he really wants to get to know you if you'll give him the chance."

"Why? He didn't even know I existed last night."

"You're family now."

He said it so bluntly, so simply. It was hard to believe. "Just like that?"

"Yeah." Jason said it as if it didn't seem at all strange to him.

"So I'm stuck with him whether I like it or not?"

Jason turned his mouth down a nodded. "Pretty much. Sonny's a good guy. Not a lot of people see that."

Courtney looked straight at him. "Is it that not a lot of people see it, or is it that he just doesn't let them?"

A silence stretched between them. Jason didn't object or agree. Courtney knew she was right. And not just about Sonny. She had the same feeling about Jason. He wasn't a bad person. He just let people think he was.

"You seem to know my family pretty well," Courtney commented.

"Yeah, I guess," was Jason's way of concurring.

Courtney sat up a little straighter, leaning forward. "Would you mind if I asked you some things? I mean, if you don't mind being quizzed."

Jason smiled that half-smile. "Go right ahead."

So she began the Q&A. "Why does my dad call Sonny 'Michael'?"

"That's Sonny's real name. Michael Corinthos, Jr."

"Then why does everyone call him Sonny?"

Jason thought about it, answered. "He likes it. Mike's the only one who calls him Michael."

"Okay, how about Carly?"

Jason groaned inwardly at the thought but couldn't resist a smile at Carly's enthusiasm. "Carly is Sonny's wife. She's crazy."

Courtney frowned, smiling at the same time. Her brother was married to a crazy woman. "Um...okay..."

"She does crazy things," Jason clarified with a smirk, "but it all comes from a good place. So if she starts trying to run your life, don't take it personally."

Courtney laughed. "I take it she's tried to run yours?"

"Yeah, a little." He paused, then conceded, "A lot."

"So you like her?"

"Yeah. She and Sonny are my best friends." He was pure seriousness again, no joking about it. He sounded very grateful to be a part of that family. God, she wished she could fit in as well as he seem to.

"So how did you meet my brother?" Jason shifted and didn't answer. She wondered if she had said something wrong. "What? Is it that hard a question?"

"No, it's just a long story."

She accepted that. "You'll have to tell it to me sometime." She didn't say it just to be polite; she said it as a promise that she was going to hear it in the future.

"I will." He also said it as a promise. He trusted her enough to tell her. He'd like to tell her, and he would... "But right now you want to know more about your family."

"I want to know more about you too." They smiled at each other, neither backing away from each other's content gazes. They both noticed their knees were just barely touching, and both enjoyed the contact. Something about it felt so comfortable, so right...

Jason's cell phone shattered the moment but not the residual feelings that hung in the air. He flashed Courtney an apologetic look and answered it. Benny was on the other end of the line. "Yeah, I know, we need to talk about it. I'll meet you at the warehouse in ten minutes," he said. He turned to Courtney, "I'm sorry."

She stood up. "No, it's okay. I need to get back to Kelly's anyway. I sort of ran out in the middle of my shift."

Jason laughed along with her, just a little. "I'll walk you," he offered.

She waved a hand. "No, it's okay. I can make it on my own."

"You have my jacket," he pointed out.

She laughed again, handing it over. "Oh, right. I forgot."

"Courtney, you shouldn't be outside without a coat."

It was sweet. It really was. "Yes, Mom." She shoved him playfully, putting her hand in the middle of his chest. It sent an electric current that wasn't so playful through her. She almost shuddered. "Don't worry. If it'll make you feel better, I'll jog back to Kelly's. It'll keep me warm, and I need the exercise anyway."

Jason's eyes swept her frame. "I don't think you do. I mean, you look great." He felt like he was choking on his tongue. Did he sounds like a total idiot? Like he'd been living in a can his whole life?

She felt her cheeks growing warm."Well, thank you, but it'll be good for me anyway. See you later, Mr. Morgan." She gave him a cute little finger-way and began to run.

"Bye, Courtney," he called after her.

~*~


	14. Chapter 13: Irreplaceable

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Author's Note: Well, whatdaya know. I get really inspired for this fic, and for the first time _ever_ I don't lose the document, squashing the inspiration [face_laugh] I like that. I like it a lot. Of course, one would think with me being inspired and all I could update a little quicker, no? :p I'm trying, I really am. I was working on a short story and _The Fallout_, and I put this off as usual. The bright side--_The Fallout_ is exactly 7 chapters from completion (which basically means this will be my only WIP fic, so I'll have no excuse for putting it off)! The wonders of detailed chapter-by-chapter summaries. Thanks everyone for sticking with me. I know I don't exactly deliver as much as I should. The promised Journey dance is either 2 or 3 chapters away (including this one, it all depends on how long the next one turns out). Another example of chapter-by-chapter summaries. Trust me, it goes smoother when you have one! I may have mentioned I should never have started giving chapter titles. I apologize for their lameness. I am so not cut out for this.

starbright: Thanks a lot! I'm glad you liked the Journey :D

theblondeone07: You get your wish very soon! More Journey and S&C...it starts next chapter, which is up at the same time as this one, because I refused to give you guys this little blurb after such a long wait. That would have just been wrong. Thanks for reading!

light*hope: Everyone on JourneyIntoTheLoveNest mentioned wanting to pulverize the cell phone. Can't blame them or you one bit :p You are "that good" and more so! Courtney dance...I believe that would chapter 16...so it's not far off at all! I'm as excited about it as you, I've had it planned from about chapter 3, lol

Samara: Thanks1 You know, I always think my fluffiness is lame. It's good to know people like it!

tydavislover: Hey stranger! Good to see you around again. I love the movie. I need to watch it again too...thanks for reminding me!

GHlover: So glad you like, and I emailed ya. Put my email up in the profile too in case anyone needs to reach me :) Thanks so much for reading!

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Reflection

Chapter Thirteen ~ Irreplaceable

When Courtney got back to Kelly's both her father and brother were gone, and she couldn't help feeling relieved. Her talk with Jason had helped, more than she was willing to admit, but she still wasn't sure she was ready to face them. She had so much anger and resentment toward her father built up inside, and apparently Sonny did, too. Even if she could handle her own, she wasn't sure she could take Mike and Sonny fighting.

Courtney slowly approached the counter. She heard someone moving around in the kitchen. She could only hope it wasn't Elizabeth. It turned out it was Bobbie.

"Hey," Bobbie greeted her. "Elizabeth tells me you ran out earlier."

Realizing she was still wearing her apron, Courtney removed it from her waist and rolled it up. She passed it over the counter, letting out a breath. How much had Elizabeth told Bobbie? How bias was the version of the story she'd delivered? "I did, and I am so sorry, Bobbie. You have been so generous to me, and how do I repay you? I run out in the middle of my shift in front of a bunch of customers."

Bobbie put the apron under the counter with the other and then reached out, taking Courtney's hands. "Oh, honey. We all have our moments. You can't be strong all the time. You're going through a lot. You weren't ready to be in the same room with Sonny and Mike, were you?"

Courtney glanced up, startled. "How do you know about that?"

"Carly's my daughter," Bobbie reminded her. "She tells me things. She told me about you."

"I'm not going to make it a habit, running out on people. I swear." She held her breath, hoping Bobbie would believe her, hoping Bobbie would give her a second chance.

Bobbie smiled. "I know you won't."

A comfortable silence fell between them. Bobbie got back to work, brushing crumbs from the counter into her hand with a damp rag. Courtney stood there, overwhelmed. Never had she been so easily accepted before as she had been in Port Charles. It seemed everyone wanted to get to know her, from her new family to Emily Quartermaine. And Jason and Bobbie were so nice to her, so understanding. So they say that if something seems too good to be true, it is. Courtney had believed that her entire life. This new town, these new people were changing her mind about that and so many other things.

Courtney reached out and gently stilled the hand that was scrubbing the counter. "Why don't you let me do that? You must be tired, working at the hospital all day and coming back here at night."

"I don't want you to feel guilty about earlier."

"I know you don't, but I do. I want to make it up to you. I also want to help out. And it helps to be busy."

Bobbie thought about it, and then handed over the rag. "All right. If you insist." She gave up easily. Who wanted to scrub counters when they could head on home anyway?

Courtney smiled back at her. "I do."

Bobbie retreated to the coat rack, pulling her jacket off a hook. "Then I'll see you in the morning. You take care of yourself. And the last slice of chocolate pie has your name on it."

For the first time, Courtney noticed a note stuck to the glass case over the pie plate, declaring the piece was reserved for a Courtney Matthews. Bobbie had put it aside for her before she'd even come in and apologized. She was touched. "Oh, Bobbie, you didn't have to do that for me."

"Eat it. Chocolate has a way of putting things in perspective." Bobbie winked.

Courtney laughed. That it did, until you looked in the mirror and realized where you'd put the extra pounds on. But who cared? "Thanks, Bobbie. I'll lock the door behind you."

She watched from the window until Bobbie disappeared from sight, and for awhile afterwards. It was starting to snow, the tiny flakes alighting on the ivy-covered brick walls all around Kelly's. It was beautiful.

It had been snowing the day of her audition. The day her mom died. And Courtney could remember looking out the window, and thinking it was beautiful, so full of hope for the future, and so angry at her mother, as well as her father, for not being there.

Courtney roughly ran her hands through her hair. She couldn't think about that.

So she got to work. She finished scrubbing down all the tables, and washed and dried the dishes. She carefully stacked the bowls and plates on the shelf, ready for the cook to grab in the morning. She refilled the sugar dispensers and emptied the stale coffee still sitting in the coffeepots.

Finally, she pulled up a stool, lifting the glass covering off the chocolate pie. She carefully slipped the generous slice onto her plate and slid her fork into the creamy goodness. As soon as the chocolate touched her tongue, her eyes rolled into the back of her head. God, this was good.

But chocolate couldn't cure everything. Especially not loneliness. Courtney's eyes settled upon the telephone. She remembered Emily giving her her number earlier. What she wouldn't give for some completely shallow girl talk with her best friend Ashley. Emily couldn't replace Ashley, but Courtney needed to make some new friends. Some new girlfriends. Obviously, Elizabeth wasn't an option. So maybe calling Emily was the first step in starting her life over, turning a new page. Maybe she could eventually turn the page on her past and accept her dad.

Courtney lifted the receiver, but before she could dial the number, tears sprang to her eyes. She suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to call her mother.

****

***Flashback***

__

"This is the biggest, most important day of my life. You have to be there, Mom!"

****

***End Flashback***

Something Courtney understood now that she hadn't before was that it wasn't just the biggest, most important day of your life that you needed your mom. You needed her everyday. Why hadn't she realized that before Janine was gone?

Courtney put the receiver back down and scraped the last of the pie into the trash. She didn't want it anymore. What she wanted no one could give her. Not Bobbie, not Emily, not Ashley. No one could bring her mom back. And no one could take her place.

Not now, not ever.

~*~


	15. Chapter 14: Carly's Scheme

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Reflection

Chapter Fourteen ~ Carly's Scheme

Kelly's was as busy as ever the next morning, people coming in and rushing out in flocks. Bobbie was at General Hospital again, so it was just Courtney and Elizabeth, who did everything possible to avoid each other. It was in the middle of a particularly large influx of customers that the telephone rang.

Courtney hauled it from under the counter and pressed the receiver to her ear. "Kelly's Restaurant. How may we help you?" she chimed, surveying the crowd and hoping if this was an order, it would be a quickly delivered one.

__

"Hi, I'm looking for a Courtney Matthews...?" the female voice trailed off.

"This is she." Courtney frowned. Who could this possibly be?

__

"Oh, hi, Courtney. I didn't recognize your voice. Not that that's really a big surprise." The woman laughed.

Courtney's frown deepened. "I don't mean to be rude, but who is this?"

__

"Oh, I'm sorry. It's Carly, Sonny's wife."

Courtney let herself relax, even to smile. "Hey, Carly. I didn't recognize your voice either. How are you?"

"I'm good," Carly replied, and then, more hesitantly, "How about you?"

Admitting the truth to a virtual stranger when she could hardly admit it to herself wasn't an option. So she gave the routine, polite response. "I'm fine." There was only one reason Courtney could imagine why Carly would call her. Obviously, Sonny had told Carly about what happened the day before, and she was trying to do what she could to fix it. Jason had said she liked to run people's lives. But Courtney wanted to cut this off before it started. "Look, Carly, if this is about yesterday, I'm sorry I ran out on Sonny like that."

__

"Don't worry about it. Sonny understands. It's a lot to take in. And, besides, that's not why I'm calling."

Courtney's eyebrows shot up. "Oh?"

__

"Yeah. I was wondering..." she hesitated, like before, as if she was considering if she should even ask. "_...if you had any plans tonight?"_

"Not really. Not yet anyway."

__

"Good. Then maybe you could come over for dinner, around seven?" Carly sounded so enthusiastic, so sure she would say yes.

Dinner? With the family she had just met? "I don't know, Carly..."

__

"Sonny and I, we really want to get to know you. No pressure. It's just dinner." Carly left the invitation hanging, waiting for an answer.

Courtney took a deep breath. "Okay, I'll come." She hoped she knew what she was getting into. Then she took out her waitress notebook and scribbled down the directions Carly gave her.

~*~

Across the city, a grinning Carly put the phone back on the cradle. Phase one of her plan was enacted. Now on to phase two. She breezed across the hall. Not bothering to knock until the door was halfway open, she let herself into Jason's penthouse. He was shooting a game of pool, and didn't seem at all pleased with her intrusion.

"Carly," he huffed, knowing all too well that it was a lost cause. "Don't you know how to knock?"

"Gee, I'm sorry. I didn't know it was necessary to announce that you were coming over to see your best friend." Carly pretended to be disgusted, or maybe she really was. Maybe it did seem irrational her that he should desire any sort of privacy. "Besides, I don't see any company over here. Do you?" Carly spread her arms, indicating the vast emptiness that was the penthouse. The only furniture was his desk, a couch, and the pool table.

Jason lay down his pool cue and crossed his arms over his chest. "What do you want?"

"Who said I wanted anything? Maybe I'm just here to visit."

There was no way that was the case. Her eyes had that mischievous sparkle again. "You always want something, Carly."

"That is _so_ not true." The mock offended thing again. Then Carly flashed him that irresistable grin. "But in this case, you're right." 

Jason rolled his eyes to the side. Go figure.

"I was wondering if you could come over for dinner tonight." Seeing his posture and facial expression, and knowing him so well, Carly immediately launched into a begging fest. "Oh, come on, Jason! I thought it'd be great, for us to get together and talk and be a family."

"Yeah, but--"

"I was so worried about you, Jason. The whole while Sonny was faking his death I was so afraid something was going to happen to you and I was going to lose you. And now that it's over, I still barely get to see you, Jason."

Jason looked at her. This wasn't theatrics. Yeah, sure, Carly had another agenda, she always did, but she meant what she was saying. He couldn't refuse her.

"Okay, Carly. I'll come."

~*~

The day passed quickly. Almost too quickly for Courtney, who wasn't exactly looking forward to dinner at her brother's. She kept trying to come up with polite ways to get out of going, but there really were none. Besides, she'd chickened out enough already. This was just going to be a nice family dinner. No pressure, no expectations. Right?

These thoughts were once again on the merry-go-round inside Courtney's head as she road the elevator up to the floor Carly and Sonny lived on. _You can do this, Courtney_, she told herself, and stepped into the hallway.

She was greeted by a man standing outside what she assumed what was her brother's door. She assumed it was a bodyguard. PH2, at the other end of the hall, was unguarded. She wondered who lived there.

"Ms. Matthews?" the guard said.

It was unnerving. "How do you know my name?"

"Mrs. Corinthos is expecting you." He knocked on the door and then pushed it open, gesturing for her to enter.

"Okay, well, um, thanks," she said, wishing he wore a nametag. She couldn't just call him Mr. Bodyguard or Doorman.

She stepped into the penthouse, and had to resist the urge to whistle. The entire apartment she and her mom had lived in could fit into the living room alone. The decor was mostly dark...black, gray, mahogany, but a bit of ivory paint lightened it up. It really was a beautiful place, with a terrace overlooking the waterfront, and all that _space_. Courtney felt very small, and very out of place. Could she ever feel comfortable in a 

Carly emerged from the right, stepping out of a hallway that Courtney assumed lead to the kitchen. "Thanks, Johnny," she called as the guard closed the door. That answered Courtney's question about the name. "Hey, Courtney! I'm so glad you could make it." Carly pulled her into a totally unexpected hug, but Courtney didn't mind. Warmth emanated from this woman with such intensity, it was impossible not to smile.

"Hey, Carly." Courtney hugged her back, and when they both pulled away, she glanced around her again. One very important thing was missing from her brother's penthouse--and that was her brother. "Where's Sonny?"

"Oh, he's out on business. He'll be back any time now."

Carly waved her hand as if it were nothing. Courtney wondered what kind of business it was. Was it illegal? Did it have something to do with the mob? Was he in danger, like he must have been before he faked his death? Was Jason with him? What about Jason? Was he in danger?

Courtney violently shoved the thought from her mind. What was _wrong_ with her? Why was she worrying about Jason? She gave herself a mental shake.

"Pull up a seat! Get comfortable! Stay awhile!" Carly encouraged, motioning towards the couch.

Laughing, Courtney went along with it, sinking into the cushions. Before Carly could join her, there was another knock on the door, and another guest was admitted.

"Jason! You're here!" Carly sounded absolutely thrilled. She threw her arms around his neck, and then stepped back.

Courtney's her eyes locked with Jason's.

"Courtney," he said. Just hearing him say her name sent shivers up her spine.

"I didn't know you were going to be here," Courtney responded shyly, a hint of a smile playing across her mouth. She couldn't say she was unhappy about his presence. But she could say the exact opposite.

Carly's beam could have split her face in two. There was no mistaking the sparks flying between these two. This was the perfect plan.

~*~


	16. Chapter 15: Filling Up That Empty Place

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Author's Note: I am such a dunce! I can't believe it. You guys probably missed it (not to take away credit where it's do) but Carly _told_ Courtney Jason was gonna be there, and then I had Courtney say, "I didn't know you were going to be here." IDIOT! I, the author, the moron, take full responsibility for this oversight. And for the sentence I didn't finish. Have I mentioned how much I hate myself when I leave a sentence hanging? ARGH! I will do better. I will. Basically, if the thought were finished, Courtney would be wondering if she could ever feel comfortable in some place so big/fancy/extravagent/whatever. I couldn't think of the right word and I was gonna get a thesaurus, but I forgot about it and you got a hangin' chad...*smacks herself upside the head* Think I've smacked myself enough for one chapter? I agree. Does the length of this baby make up for the wait? Probably not, but you'll pretend for poor tortured me, won't you? [face_beggy]

starbright: Glad you like Carly's plan :D Believe it or not, I noticed you updated _Through Think and Thin_ myself [face_shocked] And I started to read it too but Mommy is fond of interrupting me, lol! I'll read it real soon, and thanks for the reminder, I can't wait to find out why Courtney said "no" to Jason...

light*hope: *smack* That's me smacking myself, not you, for the above mentioned reason :p Thanks for pointing that out. Lol, there was two updates in one day, actually, because the other chapter was so short I didn't want to leave it alone. No, I'm not pleased with Carly right now either. She's totally off her rocker. I can't wait to hear what you thought of the movie _Save the Last Dance_...lol, sounds like your boyfriend has good taste in movies :D You get your dance (and then some ;) ) this chapter and next :D

tydavislover: Go Carly!! I agree. A good plan for once. Shocking! Thanks :D

Oreata: Thank you!

theblondeone07: You get almost everything you mentioned this chapter (except for the fast update, lol). Thanks a lot!

Samara: I'm glad you liked the alone time, as well as Carly's devilish plotting. Thanks for reading :)

Im2cool4skoolor4u:I _love_ your screenname, especially the "or4u." Awesome! I'm glad you're liking it!

Once again I remind you I have no spellchecker on this computer anywhere, and I do all my own editing.

****

Reflection  


Chapter Fifteen ~ Filling Up That Empty Space

"I'll just go check on dinner. You guys--you talk." As Carly said it, she moved the index fingers on each hand together, grinning wildly with that familiar glint in her eyes.

Jason didn't miss the glint, but something else caught his attention. "Carly..." he said slowly. "You're not cooking dinner." It wasn't an order or a question, just a statement that revealed how much he was hoping what he was thinking wasn't what was really going on.

Carly put a hand over her heart, faking being disgusted. "As a matter of fact, I am." And while Jason groaned, she stalked into the kitchen.

Courtney raised her eyebrows, but let the comments slide. They were friends; maybe it was some kind of inside joke. "It's good to see you again," she offered, trying to start a conversation.

She got a nod and a few words, and just a hint of a smile. "Yeah, yeah, you, too."

She was hoping for a little more. "Thanks for that other day in the park. It helped a lot."

"It wasn't, I mean, it was no problem."

"Okay. Well, if you say so." Ugh, it was completely crazy for her to be this nervous. What was there to be nervous about? This guy had seen her have multiple emotional breakdowns, for goodness sake! "Carly didn't tell you I was going to be here?"

Jason shook his head. "I think she has something planned."

Courtney smirked. "You sound wary."

"Well..." He sighed. "She's Carly."

Courtney frowned and was about to ask what exactly that meant, when the doorknob turned and her brother walked in. He nodded to Jason, but didn't seem to notice that Courtney was there. He did a double take when it suddenly hit him that a blonde woman that wasn't his wife was also in the living room. "What are you doing here?" he asked, sounding surprised, but not in a bad way.

She frowned. "Didn't Carly tell you?"

Sonny looked from Jason to Courtney and back again. "Tell me what?"

"Carly invited us over for dinner," Jason explained.

"She's in the kitchen," Courtney supplied helpfully, figuring he'd want to inquire as to why his wife hadn't informed him she was asking his sister and best friend over for dinner.

Sonny jerked a thumb in the direction of the kitchen. "She's in my kitchen?"

Jason nodded solemnly.

"How many times do I have to tell her..." Sonny trailed off, shaking his head.

What was with these two? They were acting like it was some high crime for Carly to enter the kitchen. Carly had to know what she was doing; she wouldn't be making them all dinner if she didn't. "I don't see what the big deal is. I mean, it's not like she's never cooked anything before."

"That's what scares me."

Courtney's eyebrows went up at this comment from her brother, and she turned them on Jason, looking for some sort of explanation.

Jason was secretly enjoying Courtney's reaction. She was cute when she didn't understand something. Not that she wasn't cute all the time anyway. "Carly can't cook."

The young woman rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on."

"No, he's right," Sonny offered his support, visions of the cooking attempts he'd suffered through running through his head. No one but Carly could make such a mess of everything...in all aspects of her life.

"She can't be that bad," Courtney insisted.

Sonny and Jason exchanged glances. Had to be a girl thing. Whether you knew the other chick well or not, come hell or high water, you defended her cooking to the men in her life.

Courtney saw their little exchange. She couldn't believe it. What was _wrong_ with these guys? "This is horrible. Don't you have any faith in her at all?"

Silence stretched for awhile before Sonny said, "I'm going to go check on her," and moved to do just that.

As soon as he was gone, Courtney approached Jason, keeping her voice low so her family wouldn't hear. "Why would Carly invite us over to dinner without telling my brother?"

"Because she's Carly."

What was with these excuses? "That's it?"

"Yeah, she gets these ideas." Jason was tempted to smile. You had to really know Carly to get it, and he could see Courtney just didn't. "I told her something earlier, and I think it had something to do with it, but I don't know. It doesn't matter." Actually, it did matter. Admitting what he had to Carly in the park, intentionally or not, had meant a lot. Now if only he could admit it to Courtney. But how could he know she felt the same way? The last thing he wanted to do was pressure her into thinking she should feel something she didn't. Everyone else around her was doing that. She needed a constant, a relationship she didn't need to think about, that was just there. He'd been that constant for awhile now, and he didn't want it to change, as much for him as for her.

He could tell something was bothering Courtney. Her posture changed, and so did her expression, becoming more uncertain, a little scared. "Do you think she invited my dad?" she asked.

Jason felt his own eyebrows move a little. He wouldn't put it past Carly, but she couldn't be that stupid, could she? Well, actually, he knew she could. But he could only hope this time she hadn't been.

"Out!"

They both turned to see Carly shooing her husband into the living room, ignoring his protests. Just as fast, Carly disappeared again. And another two seconds later, she stuck her head out, "Okay, guys, dinner is ready!"

Courtney, Jason, and Sonny, all moved to the table. It seemed like the only thing there was to do.

~*~

The dinner was an odd combination of things, but it looked dilicious. There was a salad with homemade dressing, a pot of chile, mashed potatoes, gravy, and peas. Courtney shot her brother and Jason an "I told you so" look. They gave her glances which she interpretted to mean "taste it and find out for yourself." She rolled her eyes and delved in.

"This looks great!" she exclaimed enthusiastically.

Carly beamed. "It does, doesn't it?"

Jason couldn't bring himself to rain on her enthusiasm, and resignedly lifted the bowl of salad. He'd do it for Carly, and for Courtney, and for that girl-pact of cooking-defense. He picked out some vegetables and set a large portion on his plate. It was salad. You couldn't go wrong with salad. Then he passed the bowl along to Sonny. Eventually, it made its way all around the table, followed by the next bowl, and the next. A conversation started somehow, and while it wasn't by any means a deep discussion, it was good to talk. Courtney seemed completely comfortable with this group, joining in as if she'd been a part of it her whole life. It made Jason's heart smile, and it made a part of him wish she'd be a part of this little group for the rest of her life as well.

"Bowls, people," Carly ordered, standing up to ladle out chile.

Jason and Sonny hesitated, but Courtney held out hers right away, telling Carly it was enough after the older woman had put a decent serving into the bowl. The men said just fine with their vegetables and gravy. Carly let it go.

That made Courtney wonder. Only vegetables? Obviously this wasn't a vegetarian group, if the chile was any indication, so why no meat?

Whatever. She was thinking too much. She dug her spoon into the chile, bringing a heaping amount to her mouth. She chewed a little, swallowed...and a trail of fire burned down her throat. Wow, that stuff sure packed a punch. She reached for her water and took a dainty sip, not wanting to give away that anything was wrong. She didn't want to offend Carly. But the heat only seemed to grow. Tears sprung to her eyes. Oh God, she was going to start crying right in front of everyone over some stupid chile and hurt Carly's feelings and prove Sonny and Jason right and embarrass herself in front of a really, really hot guy. Life totally sucked! Sonny and Jason were already throwing glances her way, trying not to draw Carly's attention as well.

Just then, a noisy beeping began to come from the kitchen, followed by the smell of smoke. Carly leapt up, clamping a hand over my mouth. "Oh my god, I forgot the chicken!" she exclaimed. "It'll be fine, Sonny, don't worry." She hurried off.

Jason and Sonny we at Courtney's side in an instant, placing hands on her back and asking her if she was okay. She'd already finished off her own, so she pounced on Jason's glass of water and drained it. Sonny filled it for her twice before she was able to get some relief. She was going to be peeing all night long now, but she didn't care, as long as that searing heat wasn't eating its way through her insides.

"I think I'm okay now," she finally got out in a small voice. She felt the relief eminating from them.

Jason picked up her bowl and dumped the chile back in the pot. Her eyes went wide over this action. He returned the bowl to its place on the table, and sat down just as Carly returned, bearing with her a platter of charred boneless chicken breasts and a basket of rolls.

"Courtney, uh, really thought your chile was something," Jason said.

Courtney almost burst out laughing at how honest he was even when fibbing. She managed to keep a straight face. "Yeah, you really do have a Mexican touch."

Carly lit up like a Christmas tree. "Really?"

Courtney assured her she was telling the absolute truth. Sonny kept himself busy refilling the drained glasses.

"I forgot to set the timer on the chicken. I thought you didn't have to time when you were broiling?"

Sonny's mouth was set in a grim line. He did not comment. He set the water pitcher down, and then himself as well.

"Anyway, it should be find except for the black parts. I put the rolls in to warm. They're kind of crispy but I think they're fine." Carly brightly began to pass the new dishes around. This time Courtney selected the smallest items, and only enough of them to be polite.

And so the conversation restarted and everyone tried to eat. Jason sampled the salad he'd been so careful to take so much of. He nearly gagged. The salad itself he was sure was fine--how hard was it to rip up a head of lettuce and throw in a few veggies? But the salad dressing was putrid. It tasted like barf. He had to struggle to keep his face straight. He reached for his glass, still in front of Courtney's plate...

His fingers brushed warm flesh.

He looked up, startled, to meet Courtney's eyes. They'd reached for his glass at the same time, her forgetting she still had his, him not even realizing she had been reaching for it. With a slight blush, she dropped her hand. Jason took his glass, and raised it to his lips, unable to keep from thinking that she had taking many gulps from the very same glass.

Courtney concentrated very hard on her food--if it could be called that--after this incident. She hoped to God her brother and his wife hadn't noticed. It'd be mortifying to have her brother catch her going all school-girlish over his enforcer. And it'd be twice as mortifying to have Carly announce to the world--and to Jason--that she was going all school-girlish over her husband's enforcer.

Carly noticed. She didn't speak. Merely grinned. She didn't even taste what she was consuming, she ate so fast and was so intent on Jason and Courtney's awareness of each other. This was her best plan since storming in on the Five Families with her baseball bat.

Courtney tried the chicken breast. It was like chewing shoe leather, and it tasted like a used shoe too. She made a face. Lumpy mashed potatoes with gravy gone horribly wrong, she could take. Salad with dressing that tasted like throw up, she could take. But a whole impossible-to-chew chicken breast? She glanced across the table at Carly. The woman was focused entirely on something Jason was saying. She glanced at his brother. He was examining the table cloth in front of his plate, avoiding looking at the food, chewing miserably. She couldn't believe she was about to do this. It was wrong on too many levels to count.

She did it anyway. She speared the chicken and artfully flipped it onto her brother's plate. Then she shoveled mashed potatoes like nothing had happened, watching Sonny out of the corner of her eye.

It didn't seem to register with him at first. He stared at his plate, as if in disbelief about the second charred chicken breast that had magically appeared there. Then he looked at Courtney, eyes wide with shock and betrayal. _How could you do this to me?!_ they screamed.

Courtney gave him her sweetest smile and said in her sweetest voice, "It's kind of nice to have a big brother."

She could have died laughing when his expression turned murderous.

~*~

The dinner passed painfully slowly. The eating part anyway. Aside from choking down such horrible food, it was one of the most enjoyable evenings of Courtney's life. When at last the plates were as clean as the eaters could bear to make them, they lay down their forks, and Carly tried to force more food on them.

"Oh, no, that's fine," Courtney said quickly.

"I'm good," Sonny offered just as fast.

"Couldn't eat another bite if I tried," Jason added. Truer words had never been spoken.

They all pitched in on clearing the table, ignoring Carly's objections. It turned out to be a big mistake. Courtney couldn't believe the state of the kitchen. There was gravy _everywhere_...the stovetop, the floor, the ceiling for goodness sake! Carly tried to apologize. Sonny, who appeared to be in an exorbanate amount of pain, did not respond. Shaking his head, he brought the dishes to the sink and turned the water on, drowning Carly out. Courtney could have sworn there were tears in his eyes. She figured the man was extremely attached to his kitchen.

Carly stood silent, helpless, in the middle of the room, trapped between so many silent people. One who was punishing her with it, two who were just as helpless as she. Finally Courtney said, "Oh, don't feel bad Carly. Jason and I will stay and help you clean up, how about that?"

Jason looked as if he would sooner stick a fork in his eyes, but he amiably said, "Yeah, yeah, we'll help. What do you want us to do first?"

"How about you get a mop, Carly," Courtney suggested, taking charge like she had at home, where if she hadn't done the housecleaning the place would have been a pit. "And Jason can take care of the stove while I do the ceiling. You, um...you don't happen to have a stepladder, do you?"

Some twenty minutes later, Courtney was perched on the next-to-top rung, running a spongle over the splotched ceiling, and totally over how impressed she'd been with the penthouse when she'd first walked in. Sure, it was big, but the messy kitchen and the people within it made it just like every home.

Jason tore himself away from the oven and stood at the bottom of the ladder. "You should be careful," he advised.

She rolled her eyes at him. "You are _so_ overprotective. I've done this a zillion times, okay? Well, actually, I've never scrubbed a _ceiling_ before, but I have climbed a ladder to hang a picture, you know?" She pointed to a rag. "Can you hand me that?"

He did, silenting watching her wipe the moisture away. She was so efficient, so willing to work. There was nothing in her posture or expression that indicated she was even the tiniest bit resentful about having to clean when she supposed to be just a guest. That impressed him.

All the spots were gone, and Courtney moved to get down from the ladder. She was going to show that Jason Morgan that she didn't need any guy like him who'd probably never scrubbed a ceiling in his life telling her she needed to be careful.

The ladder tipped under her weight, and she suddenly felt herself crashing through the air, with nothing there to catch her. She let out a little cry...and then felt a soft impact. She had fallen, landing safely in Jason's strong arms. It startled her, and she found herself captured by his eyes. She kind of liked the feeling of having her entire weight supported by him. She liked having his arms around her. She could get used to having him catching her when she fell. She could get used to it really, really fast. Her eyes strayed to his mouth. She thought maybe he had moved his face just a little closer to hers...

__

I really want to kiss him, she found herself thinking, and that thought was immediately followed by, _Your brother is in the same room! Ew! _The realization made her stiffen, and that made Jason do the same, putting her down.

"Everything okay?" Sonny called over.

Courtney straightened her clothes and swiped her hair behind her shoulders. "Oh, yeah. Everything's fine."

Everything was, in fact, quite fine, except for the rapid beating of her heart, which was not the result of her fall, but more the thumping that was the distinct soundtrack of falling in love. It freaked her out. She stuck close to Sonny after that, drying the dishes he was painstakingly picking every speck of sticky supposed-to-be gravy guck off of. Love definitely wasn't something she needed right now.

~*~

It took well over an hour to put everything back in order and get Sonny and Carly speaking to each other again. By the time they were finished, wife exited with her husband's arm slung around her shoulders.

"Well, I guess I should get going," Courtney said.

"I should walk you home." The offer sprang to Jason's lips before he even really thought about it. But after he said it, he got a chance to, and it made him realize he'd really like to do just that.

Courtney was still flustered about what had happened in the kitchen. "It's okay. I can go alone."

"No, no, I think it's a good idea for Jason to go with you," Sonny said.

"Look, I'm glad that you're concerned about me, but I'm a big girl, okay? I've been taking care of myself for years, and just because I have this big family that I never knew about and my brother knows all these dangerous people he probably won't even admit to having connections to doesn't change anything. I can walk myself home."

Everyone in the room looked as if they wanted to object, but no one actually said anything. It made Courtney smile. She impulsively gave her brother a hug, a thank-you for the wonderful evening, and for letting her have her little bit of independence. "Thank you, Sonny," she said, and meant it.

"Aw, that's sweet," he drawled, but she could tell he really liked it. She could read him already, and she'd know him, what? Three days? Not even.

She turned to the hostess next. "Thank for dinner, Carly. I've never had anything like it."

Carly sprang foreward and wrapped her arms around Courtney. It surprised her, but not in a bad way. She kind of liked Carly's impulsiveness. "I loved spending time with you! We'll have to do it again some time. Maybe Mike can come."

That set Sonny off. "Carly..."

She threw up her hands in defeat. "Okay, that's not my business. This is me officially butting out." She fake zipped her mouth shut for emphasis.

Jason had a hit of a smile playing across his mouth. "I don't know, Sonny. Do you think we should believe her?"

Carly's jaw dropped. "Jason!"

Sonny quickly took hold of her so she wouldn't assault their best friend. Courtney nearly burst out laughing. Her big tough mob boss brother, barely able to keep a grip on his enthusiastic wife. She loved it. Calling a good-night over her shoulder, she and Jason made their escape into the hall. She closed the door behind her and leaned back on it, burying her face in her hands.

Jason wondered what was wrong. She'd seemed okay a minute ago. Had this dinner been too much for her? Had Carly taken it too far? "Are you okay?"

Courtney dropped her hands, revealing eyes full of tears and a smile stretching all the way across her face. "I'm fine. It's just--you guys are too funny."

"Funny." What?

"Yeah, funny. You know, you make people laugh?"

"Most people don't think I'm very funny."

"Then they haven't seen the real you." She smiled up at him for a long time, and then finally dropped her eyes. "So, you headed home?"

"Yeah, I'm right across the hall."

Courtney couldn't help feeling disappointed. Sure, she'd given a speach about how grown-up she was, but if Jason was on his way home anyway and the route just happened to pass by Kelly's, she wouldn't mind walking with him. "Ok, well, I guess I'll see you later, then."

"Yeah, I guess you will. Good night."

"Good night."

~*~

Courtney let herself into the diner and shrugged out of her coat. She blew out a breath, still smiling. It was amazing what one dinner--even a terrible one!--could do. She didn't feel so torn up inside. She felt whole, happy, complete. For once that gaping hole in her heart where her mom used to be didn't feel so big.

A sudden impulse hit her. An impulse that had come naturally to her for almost her entire life. It was the impulse to dance.

~*~

Jason hadn't felt like just sitting down or going to sleep when he got back to his penthouse. He was restless. He couldn't get Courtney out of his head. Finally he gave up. Maybe a bike ride would help.

~*~

Courtney hadn't felt like it since her mom's death. How could she dance when her dancing had killed her mom? But it didn't seem wrong right now. It didn't seem wrong at all.

She began to move, in a sort of skip. She swung her feet slightly out. She wasn't really dancing yet, she was just moving to the rhythm she felt in her soul. It began to feel more natural, and before she knew it, she was adding more complicated moves, stepping on her toes, lifting herself up, gracefully lifting and dropping her arms. She began to spin and spin...

~*~

Somehow Jason had ended up at Kelly's. He couldn't get in; he knew it was locked. But he had just had the impulse to go to the window, look in. In some way he'd be closer to Courtney. He could imagine her serving customers, the grace with which she moved.

What he saw stole his breath. There was a beautiful angel dancing in the diner, her platinum locks floating through the air while she spun and spun...

~*~

...and spin and spin...

Until finally she came to a dizzy stop, having noticed someone staring through the window. Her heart stopped as her eyes met his and she realized Jason had caught her dancing.

~*~

****

P.S. Ah...the wonders of cliches :rolleyes:


	17. Chapter 16: Dance With Me

****

Author's Note: strarbright: And look, I read Think and Thin finally too, lol! Glad you like :)

light*hope: Yeah, I saw STLD on TV, so most of the swearing was edited out. The movie has a whole lot more. Yes, I'm glad you saw it! Funny thing is I don't really even think Jason's that hot, lol. Yes, more dancing...doesn't the title give that away? I think you're going to be very happy with this chapter :p Glad you didn't catch that error, lol.

Oreata: Thanks!

theblondeone07: I got the flipping food idea because my mom used to do it to her mother when her grandmother would cook, lol. Your poor brother...oh well, we little sister need to enact revenge sometime or another, why not at the dinner table? ;)

tydavislover: Are you as bad as Carly when it comes to cooking though, that is the question :p Thanks for reading!

Lucas'sgirl: Thank you...here's the encore ;)

amluvjourney: Thank you! Maybe I'll see you over on the LN sometime :)

****

Reflection

Chapter Sixteen ~ Dance With Me

Courtney bit her lip. She couldn't believe this was happening, but at the same time she knew it was. What was she supposed to do? She was completely embarrassed, not because she minded Jason watching her, but because she'd been dancing in an empty diner with no music on, and she hadn't practiced in so long she was positive that her rhythm was way off. And she was scared. Suddenly the memories of the last time she danced had come back to her. Her dancing hurt people. It drove them away. She didn't want to drive Jason away.

But she couldn't just run upstairs and not face him. He was standing right there, still looking at her, and probably wondering if he had done something wrong. She just needed to take a deep breath and deal.

So that's what she did. She stepped forward and undid the deadbolt, letting Jason in. He walked by her, and she closed up again. Then they both stood in an uncomfortable silence that Courtney was the first to break. "I guess you saw me dancing, huh?" she offered with a nervous laugh.

"Yeah," Jason said simply. He could tell how shy she was about her dancing, but he didn't understand why. She'd looked great. He'd never seen anyone move with such grace and growing confidence. He decided to go out on a limb and tell her so. "You--you looked good." Courtney's blush only deepened. He hoped her hadn't embarrassed her more. "What was that?" he asked curiously, hoping talking about the dance itself would make her feel more comfortable.

"Ballet." She held up a hand and let it fall. "I used to dance."

He frowned. He had seen the flash of pain in her eyes. "What do you mean, used to?"

Courtney turned her back on him and walked a short distance away. He was almost convinced that she wasn't going to answer when her voice came to him. "As in I did awhile ago, but I don't anymore."

It usually helped people to talk about whatever was bothering them, and he had been called a good listener. "Why'd you stop?"

She shook her head, the hair flowing down her back shifting. "It doesn't matter."

He stepped forward, and rested a hand lightly on her shoulder. "I think it does."

Courtney shrugged his hand away, but not in a rude manner. She turned around. Her eyes were bright, too bright, as if tears had been gathering in them. She took his hands, one in each of hers. "Look, I can show you how. They're really simple moves."

"I...don't do ballet," Jason said slowly, trying not to offend her and trying to be honest.

A real smile played across her mouth. "Right..." she drawled, and turned to approach the jukebox. She slipped some change into it and cued up the first slower song she came across. Then she turned back to Jason, still smiling, and holding out her hand. "Dance with me," she invited.

"I don't know. I'm really not that good a dancer."

~*~  
_Look in my eyes  
What do you see?  
Only me  
Got nothing to hide  
Seek and you'll find  
What's on my mind  
_~*~

"I don't believe that." He was being awfully hard on himself. After all, dance was something inside everyone. Sometimes they just needed help discovering it. She tugged his hand. "Come on, I'll show you." He still hesitated. She raised her eyebrows hopefully. "Please?"

Jason caved, and moved closer to her, carefully putting an arm around her waist. Courtney led them in a slow circle, watching their feet carefully. "See, you just move in a circle," she said.

~*~  
_This happened so fast  
Not a part of my plan  
Now I'm leaving my heart in your hands  
_~*~

It was going pretty smoothly. Courtney looked up at him. "You're not so bad."

"Thanks." Had he blushed a little or had she imagined it? She must have imagined it. Big tough mobster dude, blushing--nah.

~*~  
_Haven't told you just how much I love you  
Only by dreaming do I show my feelings  
Haven't told you just how much I love you  
Time for revealing  
And I will give you something too  
A love from me to you  
~*~_

Just then, he stepped on her foot. Courtney winced.

"I'm sorry," he apologized.

She continued to stare into his eyes. "I'm not," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

~*~  
_Look in my eyes  
You know me so well  
Can't you tell  
That I'm way in too deep  
I'm going down  
So catch me now  
_~*~

Before Courtney even registered what was happening, their faces began to move closer...and then their lips touched. Both of them paused for a moment, questioning whether they should be doing this, whether it was right or wrong, but neither pulled back and both gave in. The kiss they shared was short, but sweet, but it seemed to last forever. All Courtney could hear was the rapid pounding of her own heart.

~*~  
_Haven't told you just how much I love you  
Only by dreaming do I show my feelings  
Haven't told you just how much I love you  
Time for revealing  
And I will give you something too  
A love from me to you  
~*~_

Elizabeth Webber had been on her way downstairs to get a glass of water. When she was in the upstairs hall, she heard the faint, faraway sound of music. It was awfully late for someone to be listening to music in the diner. Had the jukebox turned itself on? Frowning, she made her way down the stairs, but stopped halfway, her heart stopping dead in her chest at what she saw.

Jason Morgan, _her_ Jason Morgan, was dancing with that blonde bimbo who'd waltzed into town less than a week ago. How could he do this to her? Elizabeth wondered furiously. He'd just given up on her completely, and moved along to the first girl who showed interest in him. Why wasn't he _fighting_ for _her_? Why was he dancing with little miss Courtney Matthews instead?

Then Courtney kissed him, and _he kissed her back_.

Disgusted, Elizabeth turned around and ran back up the stairs, all thoughts of water lost in hurt, anger, and betrayal.

~*~  
**_I feel you  
_**Every day I **breathe you  
**Every single moment from the start  
**I see you  
**Constantly **I feel you  
**You move me so  
No letting go  
You smile at me  
My heart is yours to keep...  
~*~

Luis Alcazar stuffed his fists deeper into his pockets. Once again he was on a midnight stroll, his thoughts focused solely on one Brenda Barrett, and how he could get to her. Corinthos, Morgan, and Jax had her so protected there was no way he could get to her. But he had to. Brenda was _his_. They belonged together. It was fate, destiny.

His travels happened to take him past Kelly's diner, from which he heard faint music. He paused outside, but then decided to investigate. There was really no harm in being nosy. In fact, nosiness often turned out to be quite productive.

What he saw brought a smile to his lips. So Morgan had a new girlfriend, and the girlfriend happened to be Corinthos's long-lost sister, if the information he had been channeled was correct.

He now had a plan rapidly forming. He would get Brenda back, and Courtney would be how he did it.

A smug smile playing across his mouth, he walked away from the diner, and began whistling.

~*~  
_Haven't told you just how much I love you  
Only by dreaming do I show my feelings  
Haven't told you just how much I love you  
Time for revealing  
And I will give you something too  
A love from me to you  
~*~_

Jason pulled away first. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. It's just, I really like you, Courtney, and..."

Courtney stopped him. "I like you, too. And I'm not sorry you kissed me."

They both smiled in the dark and empty diner.

~*~


	18. Chapter 17: The Gift

Author's Note: Sorry about the long wait. This has been done for well over a week but I'm having formatting issues...the computer that saves it as HTML is lacking a mouse...it's a long story. I don't know how this is gonna come out as a text document only, so I'm gonna keep this author's note short. //This// represents italics. Thanks for reading the continual support!  
  
Reflection  
  
Chapter Seventeen ~ The Gift  
  
The morning shift was hell. Elizabeth would hardly look at Courtney, let alone speak to her. When speach was necessary, it was cut into clipped sentences. Courtney had no idea what it was about, other than the usual, and ignored it, taking the high road. Only half of her was here, at Kelly's, serving people anyway. The other half was still lost in last night...the soft beat of the music, Jason's arms around her waist, how his lips had felt when they first brushed hers...It had been simply amazing. The most amazing thing she'd ever felt. Sure, she'd had crushes before, but she'd always been too nervous to approach them. Even if she hadn't been, her mom had made it very clear that she didn't have time for both boys and dancing. It was one or the other. Dancing won out. Dancing always had. It was the most important thing in the world to her. At least she had thought so, until those policemen had broken the news to her. Suddenly dancing didn't mean a thing.  
  
Jason, though he didn't know it, was changing her perspective yet again. Dancing //did// matter. It was a part of her that couldn't be denied. But it wasn't everything. There was a life outside ballet. There was friends, family, even love...if she let what was between her and Jason develop into love. There was room in her life for all of these things. She just needed to prioritize. And this time she was going to get her priorities right.  
  
"Earth to Courtney!"  
  
Elizabeth's shrilled voice pulled her out of the thoughts she'd been lost in. Her head snapped in the petite woman's direction.  
  
"We have //customers.// Do you think you could drag yourself out of your //important// thoughts long enough to actually do some work around here or do I have to do //everything// myself?"  
  
Courtney rolled her eyes. As she did so, she caught sight of someone peering through the window at her. It was Jason. He smiled and stepped back.  
  
Elizabeth had noticed Courtney's expression change. Her face had just started glowing, and her eyes lit up. Elizabeth turned to see what the other woman was looking at. She didn't see anything. She couldn't decide whether this was a good thing or not. If nothing was there, she couldn't have been smiling at Jason, could she? But since there was nothing there, maybe Courtney was //fantasizing// about last night, //reliving// it in her mind, like an immature high school girl might after dancing at the prom with her crush. It made her want to slap her. But before she could say anything, Courtney was handing over the basin full of dishes.  
  
"You know what? Consider me on break. I am allowed to take those, by the way."  
  
Courtney walked away, pushing through the doors of Kelly's, leaving a fuming Elizabeth glaring after her.  
  
~*~  
  
Jason had been hoping Courtney would see him, and she did. Their eyes locked for a moment, and he saw her entire face light up. She flashed a smile, her teeth bright against her lightly tanned skin. He stepped away from the window then, knowing...no, hoping...that she'd come out to see him. This surprise was kind of pointless if she didn't.  
  
Surprises weren't something Jason usually arranged for anybody except Michael. Courtney was different, though. He'd seen how sad she was about her mom and her dad from that first day on the docks. Sure, she tried to hide behind this tough girl act, but he could tell she was vulnerable, a little afraid. That changed when she was around him. She was more confident, more vibrant, more alive. Maybe it was a conicidence, but he didn't think so, because he felt the same thing. The wounds from her past were beginning to heal. He wanted to help her anyway he could. That's partly what this surprise was about. He hoped it'd take her mind off her problems for a little while, maybe make her smile. Okay, so he was being a little selfish, too. He loved seeing her smile. And if she didn't react the way he hoped she would, there was always something to fall back on; the surprise was functional. Half of it anyway. The other half...well, he could skip that part if things went wrong. After last night, he didn't think it would.  
  
Courtney pushed through the door, wearing only cargo pants, a V-neck sweater, and her Kelly's apron. She felt the cold immediately, and wrapped her arms around herself. It made Jason smile.  
  
"Jason, what are you doing here?" she asked, but not in an accusing way. Then she scrunched up her eyes in mock disapproval. "What, are you on a mission for my brother?"  
  
He hoped the smile meant she was just kidding. "I brought something for you," he replied simply. He wasn't good at this. Now that this was actually happening, he wasn't sure what to say. So he put the box on the table.  
  
"What's this?" Her tone had a hint of suspicion, but she was still smiling.  
  
"Open it and find out," he quietly urged.  
  
Courtney looked at him for awhile. She couldn't resist her curiosity. She wanted to see what was in the box. She moved the the table, reaching out to finger the bow. The package had been wrapped, as department stores did sometimes. She had to suppress a giggle at the thought of Jason taking the time to struggle with the pink paper himself. She suspected he would do it, if the person were special enough to him, but she was just as sure that the result wouldn't have been this neat. With a glance in his direction and a nibble on her lip, she carefully began to lift the top. It slid off without a hitch, revealing the white tissue paper underneath. She set the lid aside, careful not to crush the bow, and stole one more glance at Jason before beginning to fold the tissue back.  
  
Underneath, in sharp contrast to the white paper, was stitched black leather. For a moment her brow furrowed, but she continued unwrapping the gift anyway. She ran a finger over the material. Not vinal, not imitation. This was real leather, expensive leather at that. She tentatively finged the edges of the what was obviously a piece of clothing, extracting it carefully from the gift box. As her hands rose, it unfolded, revealing a beautiful, lined leather jacket that was just her size.  
  
Courtney's eyes widened. She didn't know what to say. When the words came, they were expressed out of pure shock. No one had ever given her a gift like this. "Jason. This must have cost a fortune." She shifted her wide-eyes gaze to him.  
  
Jason shrugged. "I have money and I never use it."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
Jason shrugged with his mouth this time. "I don't want anything." He reached for the jacket, removing it gently from her arms, and then holding it out for her.  
  
Courtney turned around and let him slip it onto her shoulders. "You've never thought of going to college?" When she turned back around, he saw his expression, if anything, was slightly confused.  
  
"I work for Sonny." He said it like he'd never thought there was anything else out there for him.  
  
"You talk as if that's the only thing you think you can do with your life."  
  
"I like working for Sonny. I'm good at it."  
  
He said it was so much feeling, so much emotion. She didn't doubt it for a second. Who was she to judge what he did with his life? She smiled, reaching out to straighten the lapels of his own leather jacket. "I'm sure you'd be good at anything you chose to do." And if working for Sonny was it...well, she could live with that.  
  
Jason was't sure she'd understand, but he made the effort to explain anyway. "Working for Sonny is something I know. I don't have to think about it, I just do it. It's hard to explain, but I know it's what I'm meant to do."  
  
Courtney knew exactly what he meant. It was how she felt about dancing. It wasn't something she could easily put into words, as Jason's job wasn't something he could easily describe.  
  
~*~  
  
Inside, Elizabeth looked at the clock. It was extremely busy and that little witch was taking entirely too long. She slammed new silverware onto a table and went to the door, pushing through without looking first.  
  
What she saw made her more furious than she'd ever been in her life. Little Miss Courtney was standing with Jason, wearing a leather jacket that she never could have afforded and totally didn't go with any of her other clothes. Elizabeth had seen them; they consisted of frumpy sweaters and cargo pants. Courtney didn't seem to have any idea that one could be stylish on a budget. Not that that mattered. Her budget never could have covered that jacket. On the table next to them was a gift-wrapped box. Elizabeth knew what that meant. Jason had given her the jacket. Who did he think he was, giving gifts to someone he didn't even know? It made her see red all over again.  
  
"If you don't mind, your fifteen minutes are //over//," she snapped, then turned back, letting the door slam behind her.  
  
Before Jason and Courtney could say a word, his cell phone rang. Jason wished he didn't have to answer, but work was unavoidable. He answered it, and the conversation was brief, consisting of, "Yeah?" and "Okay, I'll be right there."  
  
"Work?" Courtney guessed with a smile.  
  
He nodded. "Yeah. Look, I was going to ask you if you'd like to go for a motorcycle ride sometime?"  
  
Courtney's eyebrows rose. Now there was something she'd never done before. The thought was kind of terrifying...but this was Jason. He wouldn't let her fall off or hurt herself. She needed to start living again, taking chances. "I'd love to," she said. Jason seemed relieved by her answer. He started to walk away, but she called him back. "Thanks, for the jacket. I'll never be cold again." The words were pure truth. She felt all warm and fuzzy inside at the thought he'd put into the gift, into her.  
  
He gave her his trademark smile and left.  
  
She stood out there in the cold a little longer, rubbing the leather, imagining what it would be like to be on the back of his bike, holding on to his waist for dear life. In a way, it'd be living on the edge, exactly what having a relationship with him would be like. He was a mod enforcer after all. But that wasn't all he was.  
  
She turned to go back in.  
  
"Courtney Matthews!" a familiar voice, one she hadn't heard in years, called out.  
  
She whirled around, her eyes widening at the sight of him. "Reuben!" she exclaimed. Without even thinking about it, she ran forward and gave her old friend a tight hug.  
  
~*~  
  
P.S. All right! I'm always looking for suggestions on what people want to see...so if you have any random ramblings, feel free to share :D 


	19. Chapter 18: A Piece of the Past

Author's Note: Hey all! Mouse issue has been resolved but I'm too lazy to play musical floppies. I know, my bad :( Anyway, once again //this// marks italics. Fallout readers, I just thought I'd mention that I am working on the next chapter, but writing trials takes FOREVER. Especially when you're not a lawyer :lol:  
  
starbright: Ack! Me=horrible at keeping up with stories I like nowadays. It's not just you, trust me :p I think I'm probably 100 chapters behind on one story...of course with the amount of times a day the dude updates, that's no surprise! :lol: You just may get what you suggested ;) Thanks a ton!  
  
light*hope: I would //love// to do a picnic! Thanks so much for the fabulous idea :D It'd have to be several months down the road (it being late fall/winter and all) but the idea is adorable! I think Jason probably is going to give her a dance-related present soon enough ;) Thanks for reading!  
  
Anna Bananna: I'm so glad you like it! Glad you enjoyed Carly's cooking scene....I loved writing that!  
  
dreamcatcher6: All your questions are answered this chap! Hopefully you'll have more though...lol. Thanks for reading!  
  
Silent Typewriter: I absolutely love your screenname. I think I've seen you on the LN before, or is that someone else with the same screenname? Anyway, I will not give up on this story. It's not exactly my favorite which is why it takes so long for me to update, but so many people read it that I couldn't possibly not finish it. I owe it to them to finish! So I will...it just may take awhile :lol: Thanks for reading!  
  
carsonjourney: Glad you like, and thanks for reading!  
  
Prepare to fall asleep :p Well, hopefully it's not quite boring enough for you to do that :lol:  
  
Reflection  
  
Chapter Eighteen ~ A Piece of the Past  
  
She pulled away, hardly able to believe he was real. But he had to be. She was outside of Kelly's, in his arms. She pulled back, taking in the older version of him. He still had the slightly disheveled look going on, his hair a little messy, his clothes a little rumpled. She could have recognized him anywhere. "Reuben, what are you doing here?"  
  
He cocked his head to the side, that all too familiar mischievous glint in his brown eyes. "What, not happy to see me?"  
  
She laughed and punched him playfully. "You know that's not what I meant."  
  
"My boss is in town." Reuben explained with a shrug.  
  
Courtney had no idea who Reuben's boss was nowadays. She hadn't seen him for over four years. They'd taken ballet class together after she and her mom moved. They used to be dancing partners, entering all the competitions as a team, and winning most of them. But he wasn't just some old dance partner. He had been her best friend, her rock. He'd endured a not so great home life, and he understood how devastated she was over her dad's "death." He'd gotten her through. But Reuben was older than her, four years older to be exact, and two years after they first met, he turned eighteen and set out to start a life of his own, away from his screwed up family. She hadn't seen him since. The letters had come frequently at first, but Reuben always seemed to be moving, so they'd tapered off until she only got a birthday and a Christmas card.  
  
Despite all the time that had passed, it felt like their friendship hadn't missed a beat. "Are you still dancing?" she asked with a grin.  
  
"Yeah, but it's only a hobby, and I'm more into modern stuff now. You know, the kind of coreographed stuff they do in music videos. Tango!" Reuben grabbed her hands and did a few tango moves with her, making them both laugh, before he continued. "I haven't done ballet since I left Atlantic City. How about you?"  
  
"Yeah. Well, I mean, I'm sort of on a break right now." She thought of Jason, and their dance the previous night, and felt a smile coming. "I think I'm going to start again," she said, and she knew she wasn't just saying it. She was really going to do it.  
  
Reuben was truly thrilled for her. "That's great! Maybe we can get back into it together."  
  
The smile turned into a grin. "I'd love that."  
  
A moment of silence stretched between them, then Reuben reached out and pinched her jacket, rubbing the leather between his fingers. "Pretty expensive stuff you got going on here. What, your mom hit the lottery or something?"  
  
Courtney stared at him, thrown off balance by such an offhand mention of her mother. He didn't know. Of course he didn't know. "What?" She glanced down at his hand, and realized what meant. "Oh, the jacket? It was a gift."  
  
He jerked his head toward the table where the wrapped box still lay. "Recent one, I can see."  
  
"Yeah. My...um..." She blushed, stumbling over the word. What was Jason to her? Could she call him her boyfriend? Wasn't it too soon for that? She decided to just go with his name. "Well, Jason gave to me."  
  
Reuben cocked an eyebrow, a smirk firmly in place. "Jason?"  
  
"Yeah..." she said, trying to come up with a way to avoid Reuben's good-natured third degree. He'd always been a nosy one. "He works for my brother," was all she should come up with.  
  
Reuben took a step back. "Whoa. You never told me you had a brother."  
  
She pushed her hair off her face. "I never knew. It's a //really// long story, but it turns out my dad is alive and I have this whole family I never knew about."  
  
"Well, that's cool...isn't it?"  
  
She thought about it for a moment, and then nodded. "Yeah, I guess it is. I always wanted a real family, and now I have one. Though I admit it wasn't exactly the family I dreamed of."  
  
Reuben frowned. "What do you mean?"  
  
"Well, for one thing, my brother is Sonny Corinthos."  
  
Reuben's eyes widened. "//The// Sonny Corinthos?"  
  
"The one and only. I take it you've heard of him?" she inquired with false innocence.  
  
"Yeah! Who hasn't?"  
  
"Well, I don't think he does business in Asia..." The corner of Courtney's mouth quirked.  
  
Reuben shook his head for a long while, then said somthing that caught her totally off guard. "So whose this Jason to you?"  
  
"Reuben!"  
  
He mocked offense. "What? I used to be your best friend. Doesn't that buy me a ticket to be nosy?"  
  
"No!"  
  
"Come on, tell me!"  
  
"Okay, okay..." She winced, trying to come up with a way to put it. "He's sort of my boyfriend but not really?" she tried.  
  
Reuben tilted his head to the side. "How can he sort of be your boyfriend?"  
  
"Well, it's nothing serious...at least I don't think it is. We've only known each other for a couple weeks. It's not exactly official yet."  
  
Reuben was grinning at her uncertainty, but his expression suddenly changed to one of concern. "Did you say he works for your brother?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"So you're talking about Jason //Morgan.//"  
  
She nodded. "Yeah, do you know him?"  
  
"No, but I've heard of him." He dropped his voice. "Courtney, do you have any idea how dangerous this guy is?"  
  
Courtney didn't know why, but she suddenly felt defensive. Never mind that she had had the same reaction when she'd discovered what Jason's career was. She knew better now. "You mean, do I know he kills people for a living?" she threw back. "Yeah, I do."  
  
Reuben was completely floored. "How can you be so casual about something like that?"  
  
"What Jason does..." she trailed off, trying to find the words, and they came easier than she thought they would. "It's just his job. He's good at it. He likes it. I don't think he does it because he's fun. He does it because he is so loyal to my brother, and he'd do anything to protect him and his family, because my family is his family, too."  
  
Reuben wasn't convinced. "You'd be better off if you stayed away from him."  
  
Not a chance. "Thanks for the advice, but I'm not sure I'm gonna take it. So what are you doing these days?"  
  
The subject change didn't go over Reuben's head, but he went with it anyway. "Oh, I'm in some boring international corporation stuff. I'm all over the place...literally. My boss is cool. The job is interesting. Pays good, too."  
  
"How about girls?" she asked, an evil twinkle in her eyes.  
  
It was his turn to play innocent. "Girls? What about them?"  
  
"Come on, Reuben!"  
  
"I've dated a few." He shrugged, as if it were nothing.  
  
She was enjoying the turning of the tables, getting to be the nosy one for once. "Are you dating any now?"  
  
"A few."  
  
"Reuben!"  
  
He held up his hands in a hold-off kind of way. "I'm kidding, okay? I'd never double-do my girl and actually //tell// you about it!"  
  
"I'm going to remember that."  
  
"I'm not dating anybody. It's all about the job right now," he said, serious now.  
  
"Well, that's good. As long as you're happy."  
  
The door snapped open, a furious Elizabeth standing there. "Okay, Courtney, if you're just going to stand outside and talk all day, why do you even //work// here?!"  
  
Courtney had to struggle not to roll her eyes."I'm sorry, okay? This is Reuben. He's an old friend of mine. I haven't seen him in years."  
  
"I don't care who he is," Elizabeth snapped. "Just because Bobbie likes you doesn't mean you can get away with dumping your workload on //me!"//  
  
"Fine, I'm coming." Courtney went to the table to pick up the box. She didn't miss the venemous look Elizabeth sent in her direction before she disappeared inside.  
  
"What's Miss Personality's problem?" Reuben scoffed.  
  
Courtney rolled her eyes. "It's a long story. She dumped Jason and now she wants him back but he's not interested."  
  
"Oh. The whole 'if I can't have him no one can' sort of thing?"  
  
Put simply. "That pretty much sums it up."  
  
Reuben nodded, rocking back on his heels. "Well, it was great to see you. I'd love to just hang out sometime."  
  
"So would I. We should go out dancing."  
  
Reuben loved the idea. "We should! You staying here?" He nodded at Kelly's.  
  
"Yeah, I'm upstairs."  
  
He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "I'll come by and we'll set up a date some time, all right?"  
  
She grinned. "Perfect."  
  
~*~  
  
Courtney slipped into her new leather jacket, her shift finally over. She stood there looking down at herself, smiling at the thoughtfulness behind the gift. That lead to thoughts of Jason's invitation. She wondered where he was now. Maybe he was home. He had said he lived just across the hall from her brother. She wanted to go see him, to take him up on his offer. But wouldn't that come across as a little agressive and presumptuous? Just showing up like that? Yeah, it would, she decided. Maybe she'd drop in on Sonny and Carly instead. And if Jason just happened to be there or to show up...that'd be a different story.  
  
As she went outside, she thought of how wonderful it would feel to be on the back of Jason's motorcycle, her arms around his waist, holding on for dear life, putting all her faith into his driving skill. She'd love to be that close to him.  
  
~*~  
  
Elizabeth glared after Courtney, digging her nails into the rag she was using to scrub down the last of the tables. The twit was smiling. Elizabeth just knew she was thinking of Jason. It disgusted her. What could Jason possibly see in her? Courtney was acting just like a teenage girl with a crush. What was so appealing about that? Nothing that Elizabeth could see. Jason needed a //real// woman. He needed //her.// She wondered how long it was going to take him to wake up and see that //she// was the right one for him, not some dumb blonde. When was he going to realize that she was worth fighting for? That she was more important than his job and his stupid loyalty Sonny?  
  
~*~  
  
Courtney was so lost in thought that she didn't even see the men dressed in black until one of them grabbed her. Instinct took over then, and she fought with everything she had. She tried to scream for help, praying to God Elizabeth wouldn't be petty enough to ignore her, but before she could raise her voice to full volume, a hand clutching a piece of white cloth clamped over her mouth. The last thing she saw were their dark ski masks before the chloroform kicked in and the strength drained from her body.  
  
~*~  
  
Elizabeth had gone back to scrubbing tables. Suddenly, her hand stilled and she jerked around to look through the window again. She thought she'd heard a scream. She saw a flash of black pass by the door. Frowning, she left her rag behind and strode outside.  
  
There was no one there.  
  
"Courtney?" she called.  
  
There was no answer.  
  
Elizabeth made a face. What was //wrong// with her? She didn't give a damn about this Courtney, even if she was in trouble. Which she obviously wasn't. She hadn't really heard a scream, or seen anything. She must have just imagined it.  
  
She turned and went back inside.  
  
~*~  
  
P.S. So, as the story progresses, I need to know what you think of Reuben...whether you'd like him to stick around or not. Anyway...thanks for sticking with me! 


	20. Chapter 19: Hostage

**Author's Note:** Realizing it's been a month since I last updated, I figured it was about time to get off my butt and write something! Though technically I sit on my butt when I write... :p Gotta tell you that I LOVE the new quick edit feature. No more floppies!!!! YES!!!!!!!

lighthope: Never update GC again? :o But you just did so the threat holds little weight! :lol: Yes, I was thinking Reuben and Elizabeth might be good for each other myself. We'll see...depends on people's reactions. I must be 200 chapters behind on Set's story by now...seriously, I cannot read that fast!

AuroraOra: LOL! Thanks for reading!

carsonjourney: You know that Jason will come through for his damsel! Reuben's fate is entirely up to the readers, I don't care whether he lives or dies after he serves his purpose :D

theblondeone07: Another person besides myself thinking Reuben and Elizabeth...I always knew I was predictable :lol:

Silent Typewriter: You get Jason in this one! Hmm...run over by a car. I could do that....and enjoy writing it too! Thanks for reading!

ashton: Glad you like it!

starbright: Thanks for always reading, and punctually [faceI'mpunctualtoo...not] I love hearing from you!

mob-princess55: It may take me a long while but I will finish this story! I was going through past reviews, and I saw your name and I don't recall seeing it before? Did you used to have a different screenname?

Stephanie: Thanks for the review! I hope you like what I do with Reuben and Journey! :D

**Reflection**

**Chapter Nineteen: Hostage**

Jason had dealt with the issues down at the warehouse as quickly as possible, signing what needed to be signed and leaving what he didn't personally need to oversee. He kept catching Benny shooting him curious sideways glances. Apparently it wasn't only obvious to Jason himself that he was distracted. Benny didn't ask questions though. Which was probably a good thing. Jason couldn't have thought how to explain Courtney to him.

He'd walked from the warehouse to Kelly's, hoping to arrive while Courtney was still awake. He wanted to take her on that bike ride. He usually went on them to clear his head and to be alone, but the feeling was something he wanted to share with her.

He approached the window and saw that Elizabeth was still cleaning up. He tried the door. It was unlocked. He let himself in.

He knew Elizabeth had seen him, but she made a point of ignoring him as she had been doing quite often these days. He stood, waiting for her to acknowledge his presence, for a long moment, but she never did. Finally, he quietly asked the question he wanted to ask. "Is Courtney around?"

Elizabeth didn't raise her head. "Nope."

"Do you know where she went?"

Elizabeth's head rose this time, her eyes flashing. "How would I know? I don't, and I also don't care," she snapped, turning on her heel to storm into the kitchen.

Jason looked after her for a long moment, mourning the loss of their friendship. Trying to become something more had been a mistake. It had only hurt Elizabeth, something he'd never meant to do. But he couldn't fix it if Elizabeth wasn't even willing to meet his eyes. He turned and left.

* * *

Elizabeth didn't sleep that night. She lay awake, fuming over Jason, Courtney, and herself. She never heard a key turn in the lock downstairs, or someone coming up to their room.

She eventually gave up and spent the few hours before her shift started at her studio, painting up a furious storm. When she walked into the restaurant to relieve Penny, Courtney was nowhere in sight. The other girl told her she hadn't seen her all morning.

As the day wore on, Courtney still didn't show. Elizabeth kept looking at the door, waiting to see her dumb blonde head bobbing through it with an excuse. But she never appeared. Elizabeth was starting to get concerned when it hit her.

Courtney must have spent the night with Jason.

Rage boiled within Elizabeth.

She picked up the phone and dialed a number she wished she wasn't so familiar with.

Jason picked up on the first ring.

"Courtney hasn't shown up for work today," Elizabeth said, not bothering to tell him who it was.

"So?"

"I thought she might be with you." Elizabeth tried to keep her voice even and casually, but it came out too high, strained with bitterness.

"She's not."

Elizabeth didn't dare hope. Jason was very specific. He answered the question and only the question. She had asked if Courtney was with him now; if Courtney had been there before, he wouldn't say so unless she specifically asked. He and Sonny were masters when it came to vagueness. "Have you seen her at all today?" she tried again.

"No, I haven't seen her since yesterday." A frown creased Jason's forehead. With every question, his concern grew. Where was Courtney? Why wasn't she at work?

Elizabeth was speechless. She hadn't been expecting that. She had thought Courtney had forgotten the time because she was so lost in spending time with the guy on whom she had a childish crush. Apparently, she was wrong. If Courtney wasn't with Jason, where could she be?

She suddenly remembered last night. The scream that wasn't. The flash of black outside the window. How she'd gone out, seen no one there, and just shrugged it off as nothing. What if she had been wrong? What if something had happened to Courtney?

Her grip on the phone tightened. She had a queasy feeling in her stomach. She didn't like Courtney, but that was only because of her growing relationship with Jason. Courtney really wasn't that bad a person. And if that scream, that flash of black hadn't been nothing, if it had been serious, it was all her fault. Courtney could be out there somewhere, held captive by one of Sonny and Jason's enemies or worse. And any injury she sustained was all on Elizabeth's head.

"Jason," she began in a small voice, "I need to tell you something."

* * *

Ten minutes later, Jason was racing across the hall to Sonny and Carly, adreniline and fear gushing through his veins. He burst through the door without even bothering to knock. His two best friends, who had been cuddling on the couch, nearly jumped out of their skins. The wild look in Jason's eyes and the words he spoke silenced any verbal objection that may have sprung from their lips.

"Courtney's gone."

Jason had to force the words out. Saying them made it real, more real than it had felt even when he heard from Elizabeth about what she'd seen and heard last night at Kelly's.

Sonny stood up. "What do you mean, gone?"

"Someone has her. Courtney left work last night, and Elizabeth was still scrubbing tables. She thought she heard a scream, and she looked up and saw some guy dressed in black through the window. She went out, no one was there, so she thought she'd imagined it. But Courtney never came back to Kelly's last night and hasn't showed up for work this morning."

"What an idiot," Carly muttered, referring to Elizabeth.

"Carly, now is not the time," Sonny snapped. Carly pressed her lips together but didn't utter another word. "Someone must have grabbed Courtney last night," Sonny continued. "We need to find out who, and why."

"I already called Benny and Myer. They've got people on it."

Before they could discuss it further, the phone rang.

"Shh," Sonny hissed, slicing the air with one hand for emphasis while he picked up the phone with the other. "Yeah?"

"Mr. Corinthos, how good to speak to you again."

There was no mistaking that disgustingly smug voice. "What do you want, Alcazar?"

"I want you to remove your protection from Ms. Barrett."

"Not gonna happen."

"You are in no position to deny me anything."

"Oh yeah? Why's that?"

There was a pause, in which Alcazar smiled, and glanced over his shoulder at the girl bound and gagged to a chair. Her eyes were wide with anger and fear. "I have your sister."

* * *


	21. Chapter 20: Alcazar's Demand

**Author's Note:** I'm alive! Trust me, I'm more shocked than you are. At any rate…I guess I just needed a break after updating every two weeks for almost a year. Hopefully I'm over that. But all this feedback and I didn't get this out sooner? Shame on me. So I'm gonna skip right onto the chapter here for you guys, love you all. And yes, this is Luis not ugly-haired Lorenzo. LOL very funny. Thank you for the continued support and as soon as I get this up, I'm gonna start on the next chapter—you guys deserve a few back to back updates!!

**Chapter Twenty**

**Alcazar's Demand**

A zillion thought raced through Sonny's mind in the moments it took him to respond to Alcazar's announcement. He'd just found out he had a sister. He didn't want to lose her. But what if Alcazar didn't really have Courtney? What if he was playing games as he was so fond of doing? He couldn't let on how much leverage Alcazar had over him. "Why should I believe you?"

"Think of the consequences if you don't."

Sonny glanced across the room at Carly and Jason. They were both gesturing and mouthing, asking what Alcazar wanted, if he had Courtney. Sonny needed to know for sure that Alcazar did before he agreed to anything. He had to be careful. If Alcazar really did have Courtney, he was in no position to be making demands. He had to be reasonable. "If you really have her, then prove it. Let me talk to her."

There was a stretch of silence punctuated by a bit of static and clattering in the background. "Courtney?" Sonny asked the dead air.

Alcazar nodded to one of his men, and the bodyguard ripped the gag from Courtney's mouth. Alcazar held his silver cell phone to her ear.

Courtney's voice came across the line to the penthouse a moment later. "Sonny! What's going on? Who are these men? Why are th—"

Before she could finish, the same bodyguard clamped a hand over her mouth and Alcazar pulled the phone away.

"Satisfied?" he inquired smugly.

No, Sonny wasn't satisfied. He wouldn't be satisfied until his sister was back safe and sound. "What do you want, Alcazar?"

"It's quite simple really. A simple trade. I'll give you Courtney…in exchange for Brenda."

Brenda. Of course. He should have known. "That's not an option."

"I'll give you twenty-four hours to change your mind, Mr. Corinthos. If you don't, I'm afraid your sister will meet an untimely demise." With that, Alcazar hung up.

---

Jason knew it was bad from the moment he heard Alcazar's name. Instantly, it became clear to him. What Elizabeth had seen was Alcazar's men dressed in black, dragging Courtney away. He was furious and terrified at the same time. It wasn't like him to get upset about business…about anything. Whatever happened, he dealt with, and he dealt with it rationally. He was finding it hard to be rational this time. He needed to fix that. Losing it wasn't going to help Courtney. He decided to start out with confirming what he'd heard. "Does Alcazar have Courtney?" The words were out of his mouth the moment Sonny hung up the phone. He had to fight to keep his tone neutral.

Carly was right on his heels. "What does he want?"

"Carly," Sonny said calmly, "you need to go upstairs."

Carly's arms moved to her waist, sticking out defensively, getting prepared for a screaming match. "What? No way! I know I haven't known her long, but Courtney is your sister and my friend! You can't keep me—"

They didn't have time to waste. Jason wouldn't have Courtney captive and afraid a second longer than was necessary. Something snapped inside him at Carly's tirade. "We don't have time for this right now, Carly!" he shouted. "Just do what Sonny says!"

Her jaw dropped, in indignant shock and genuine surprise. Jason never yelled.

"Please," Jason added more gently, trying to keep the desperation from leaking into his voice.

Carly threw up her hands and walked away. "Fine," she shot over her shoulder. Jason and Sonny watched each defiant sashay of her hips as she charged up the stairs. The second she was out of sight and presumably out of earshot, Jason turned back to Sonny.

"What does Alcazar want?"

Sonny shrugged. "What he always wants."

Jason spread his arms and raised his eyebrows, silently inquiring, _and what's that?_

"Brenda."

Jason let his arms drop. Brenda. Of course. Alcazar's whole reason for being here was Brenda. He'd tried to kill Sonny and Jax both, all for the love of Brenda. "Alcazar thinks we're going to trade Brenda for Courtney?" Saying it aloud made it seem even less sensible. Alcazar had to know that Sonny wouldn't sacrifice one woman for another. Jason didn't think he would either, and he didn't even _like_ Brenda—she was loud, and annoying, and obnoxious, not to mention spoiled and selfish. Still, she didn't deserve to be trapped with a man she didn't love, who had stolen four years of her life by convincing her she was sick when she wasn't.

Sonny nodded.

"What do you want me to do?" Jason inquired. They had to come up with a plan and fast.

"We can't give him what he wants. We can't give him Brenda."

"We can make it look like we're going to hand Brenda over."

"No. That's not an option. I will not put Brenda in danger."

"But Sonny—"

"Don't even start, Jason. It's not happening.

Before he'd even finished the sentence, his wife was charging back down the stairs. Jason groaned inwardly. Why couldn't Carly listen for once? Just this once?

"There is no way in _hell _I'm letting you sacrifice Courtney for Brenda."

---


	22. Chapter 21: Even More Than You Do

**Author's Note:** Wow! A really really fast update. Shocking, eh? Actually I wrote this right after I posted last chapter and made you wait a couple days for it, ha ha. Anyway, thanks for reading and here's the next chapter! Love you guys!

****

**Reflection**

**Chapter Twenty One: Even More Than You**

Jason ran a hand over his face. Carly was just what they didn't need right now.

"Carly…" Sonny breathed on top of a sigh.

"What's more important to you?" Carly continued. "Your sister or your ex-girlfriend?"

"Carly, can we not do this right now?"

Outrage shone from Carly's flashing brown eyes. "When do you want to do it then?" she screeched. "After Alcazar decides Courtney is of no use to him anymore?"

The words rang too true to Jason. "Carly, we don't have time for this! We have to find a way to make Alcazar think he's getting what he wants, and get Courtney back without handing over Brenda!" He turned to his best friend. "How much time do we have?"

"Twenty-four hours."

Jason blew out a breath. Twenty-four hours. It wasn't a lot of time. Not nearly as much as he would have liked. But it was enough. Any amount of time was enough, because he'd stop at nothing to get Courtney back. "We need to tell Brenda."

"What's the point, Jason? What's that going to accomplish? We can't hand her over to Alcazar anymore than we can leave Courtney with him, and if we tell Brenda, she's going to want to do anything she can to help."

Jason tried to contain his frustration. "Exactly, Sonny. She can help us fake a trade-off."

Sonny turned away, shaking his head, and echoed the word that brought Carly from her eavesdropper's hiding place. "No. It's too dangerous."

Once again, the world triggered Carly. "Too dangerous? And Courtney isn't in danger being held captive by this obsessed freak?"

Jason tried the more rational approach. Maybe he could reason with Sonny. "Think about it, Sonny. Alcazar loves Brenda. He's done everything to keep her for himself. He's hurt the people she loves…you, Jax. He's taken Courtney to get her back. If anyone's in physical danger, it's not Brenda…" Jason hated to say the words around. After all, saying it made it real. But he finished the thought anyway, "…it's Courtney."

"What if Alcazar decides if he can't have her, no one can?"

"If it were like that, Alcazar wouldn't be coming after Brenda through Courtney."

Sonny shrugged, as if that meant nothing. "So what? We have guards on her. Alcazar isn't suicidal."

"What are the chances that Alcazar has changed his standpoint on Brenda? And even if he has, _isn't Courtney worth the risk?"_ She was to Jason.

The words, spoken so emphatically, hung in the air, pressing down upon them all as if they were dead weight. "All right," Sonny finally spoke. "Fine. I'll go talk to her." He hung his head resignedly and moved toward the door.

"Why do you have to?" Carly immediately reacted. "Why can't Jason?"

Jason glared at her. "Carly."

She threw up her hands. "Okay, fine, this is me butting out. But I swear, if anything happens to Courtney…"

"You'll file for divorce and sue for alimony," Sonny said over his shoulder. "I know." With that, he closed the door behind him.

In a split second Carly was turning to Jason. "You have to promise me you won't sacrifice Courtney for Brenda."

Jason ran a hand over his face again.

"You have to promise me, Jason. Come on, Jason. You have never failed me. Don't fail me now."

"I won't let it happen, okay?" Jason snapped. "I care about Courtney even more than you do. I won't let anything happen to her." Not even realizing the magnitude of what he just said, he turned and left the penthouse, leaving a surprised Carly wondering about the underlying meaning of those words in his wake.

---

Alcazar knelt before his captive. "It's only a matter of time now, princess. Soon you'll find out just how much you mean to your big brother."

"Sonny and Jason will rescue me," Courtney forced between gritted teeth. Her eyes flashed with hatred and defiance.

"You best hope they care about you as much as I think they do."

Courtney was suddenly filled with doubt. How much did she mean to her brother? How much did she mean to _Jason?_

---


End file.
